C Gockel Writes

The Best Of All Possible Worlds

by

This book reads like fanfiction in the best possible way. This is a Spock / Uhura story where the author said, “I love Spock / Uhura, but so much of the destruction of Vulcan was just so bad from a scientific / socio-political perspective that I am going to rewrite it. And I will make it good. And I will also focus on the romance because I didn’t get enough of that in the movie.”

Ahem. I read this book a while ago, loved it, reviewed it on Facebook and didn’t review it here because this blog didn’t exist at the time. So. I’ve forgotten a lot, but it came up in conversation today because I was talking to a friend about the book.

It’s a great read! Pick it up at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, and GooglePlay.

The Dispossessed – Book Review

by

When I read what I want most is an exploration of big ideas, and characters I care about, who ring emotionally true. Ursula LeGuin’s The Dispossessed delivers emotional integrity in spades, and it explores big ideas. Wikipedia says that it is “utopian fiction,” although Ursula LeGuin is on record saying no society could be a perfect utopia.

The hero Shevek lives in a society based on the harsh moon world of Anneres, and their social structure is anarchy. “How can that be possible?” You ask. “Anarchy is by definition a lack of structure.” Well, yes, remember what I said about no society being a perfect utopia? He’s a brilliant scientist who can’t get his work published because he runs afoul of the “hidden” structure of his society. The only place where he can pursue his research is the sister world of Anneres, the opulent world of Urress,  where, unlike his homeworld, there is great wealth and great poverty. The book is his quest to get there, complete his research without losing his life or his soul, and his quest to return home.

The lead character, Shevek, believes that his society is as close to utopia as can be possible, but that utopia needs to change and be regenerated to remain “utopic.” He’s a sincere, honest, idealist and I loved him, although I think, he is a classic case of an unreliable narrator.

I’m not sure I got the takeaways I was “supposed” to get from this book. To me this book wasn’t about anarchism-communism or capitalism being one better than the other. To me this book was about how both societies had strengths and weaknesses, and both being very imperfect. In a way Shevek’s journey to me was in trying to find a middle road between the two, and that middle ground was where real progress took place.

I wished I’d read this book in a book club, preferably with some people with interest in economics … and am going to post to my author Facebook page and hope that suffices. Anyway, I highly recommend it, and would love to hear your thoughts, and wish GDPR hadn’t closed down my comments. 😛

Pick up The Dispossessed at Amazon, Kobo, Nook, iBooks, GooglePlay, & Scribd.

Orphans in the Black (a new home for Murphy’s Star)

by

Get it FREE as part of Kindle Unlimited at Amazon U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Australia

A few years ago I wrote a short story called Murphy’s Star. It’s about a scientist traveling to a distant planet who picks up an alien *koffs* passenger during cryosleep.

Murphy’s Star launched my career. But lately, it has fallen into obscurity. I decided to give it a new home. I wanted the new home to have awesome stories that my fans who’d read Murphy’s would love. So, Orphans in the Black was born. This is a collection with a ton of heart. There is plenty of adventure, but the really big battles are internal. There are authors I know some of you love already: Lindsay Buroker, Christine Pope, M.R. Forbes, and others. There are also lesser known authors I think you’ll fall in love with.

I loved putting this collection together. I’m sure you’ll love it too. This collection is available for 99¢ for a limited time and is FREE in Kindle Unlimited.

The Spaceship Next Door by Gene Doucette

by

The Spaceship Next Door by Gene DoucetteAvailable on Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Amazon Australia | Nook |  iBooks  | Kobo

This is a first contact story, and it is delightful. It’s filled with sly humor, astute observations on human nature, and still manages to charter some territory through some deep philosophical waters. I don’t want to give to much away, so here is the setup:

The world changed on a Tuesday.

When a spaceship landed in an open field in the quiet mill town of Sorrow Falls, Massachusetts, everyone realized humankind was not alone in the universe.  With that realization, everyone freaked out for a little while.

Sixteen-year old Annie Collins is one of the ship’s closest neighbors.  Once upon a time she took every last theory about the ship seriously, whether it was advanced by an adult ,or by a peer.  Surely one of the theories would be proven true eventually—if not several of them—the very minute the ship decided to do something.  Annie is starting to think this will never happen.

One late August morning, a little over three years since the ship landed, Edgar Somerville arrived in town.  Ed’s a government operative posing as a journalist, which is obvious to Annie—and pretty much everyone else he meets—almost immediately.  He has a lot of questions that need answers, because he thinks everyone is wrong: the ship is doing something, and he needs Annie’s help to figure out what that is.

I don’t want to say too much about the story, because it had some terrific twists (if something seems a mite bit unrealistic to you, hang in there, an explanation will be forthcoming. Heh, heh, heh.) This story kept me glued to my Kindle. (It’s also available as an audiobook and a paperback at some vendors.) It is a terrific “buddy” fic … and I loved it.

 

Dark Horse by Michelle Diener

by

Dark Horse by Michelle DienerAvailable at Amazon & Free in Kindle Unlimited: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany

I’m reading so many good books lately, and I’ve gotta review some before I move onto the next one! Michelle Diener’s Dark Horse is a girl get’s abducted by aliens book, but it is also a terrific buddy fic between girl and an artificial intelligence. It’s also just a rip-roaring fast read. Her transitions and her set-up is brilliant. She just throws you right in to the deep end of the pool and it WORKS. It’s a fun read, and I think she and I have had similar thoughts on AI. The love scenes aren’t graphic. Definitely one to pick up.