I’ve been traveling in time with my speculative fiction reading lately. While the first two reviews below are recently released science fiction novels, the third review goes back a few years. Then I got brave. I read a fantasy from a few decades ago. Here’s what I thought:
Cascade Failure by L. M. Sagas
Science Fiction; Space Opera
Accused of abandoning his guild, Jal fights to get back to his family–his sister and beloved niece. But he has to fight every step of the way as he travels the galaxy and ends up on a ship with his old boss. Jad and his newfound family must decide whether or not they want to fight a virus that is killing planets. Kal must decide whether or not he’ll ever get to see his family again or not.
If you like the show Firefly, you’ll like Cascade Failure. This is a sci-fi/space opera with a touch of humor and a cast made up of the ship’s oddball crew.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Science Fiction; Time Travel
In the not-too-distant future, a woman serves as a “bridge” to help people who have arrived from past time periods acclimate to modern times. She is assigned to an officer from a mysterious ship. Her duty is to live in community with him and assist him as he learns what living in the 21st century means.
Okay. I love this concept. Helping an “expat” from the past understand what Spotify is. But a single woman living with a hunky, naive naval officer from a more sexually-repressed time period? I think you can guess what happens. It’s predictable, and I think the author knows that. If the reader wants some detailed sexy time scenes, well, they got them. What’s not predictable was the confusing time travel dynamics that bogged down the story at the end. I got a little confused, I admit.
I didn’t think the romance would be as titillating as in Fourth Wing. But if the science fiction category has an equivalent to Rebecca Yarro’s romantasy, this novel is it. If that’s what you want, I recommend this book. But it’s not my cup of tea. Great idea, though.
The Mage War by Ben S. Dobson
Fantasy
This is the fifth and final installment of Ben Dobson’s Magebreakers series. The stakes are the highest ever, as the continent itself is under siege, and its citizens’ lives are at risk of a fate worse than death.
I have to admit I’m sad this series is over. I will miss Tane Carver, and especially Kadka, the scene-stealer in every book. I will also miss all the members Tane and Kadka added to their Magebreakers team with each mission. Dobson did a great job of wrapping up this series. Highly recommended and the audio version is great.
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Fantasy
Get this: Mattias the warrior is a mouse. And he’s searching for a sword to help him fight off this group of rats led by the nasty Cluny. The rats plan to take over Redwall, a sanctuary for woodland creatures: moles, badgers, and more mice. But Mattias is determined to fight them off. Yes, all the characters in Redwall are anthropomorphic woodland creatures, but they’re believable as characters in this first installment of the Redwall series.
I’ve had this as an audiobook for a few years and finally got around to listening to it. I wish I’d done it sooner. This looks like a kid’s book—and kids can definitely enjoy it—but it’s great for any age. This first book in the series is a self-contained story. Has the flavor of The Chronicles of Narnia with more modern storytelling techniques. I recommend it as a family read, but it has more violence than I expected. Still, a great read.
Andrew M. Friday 
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