Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey

Sorry, this is so late in posting.

Cibola Burn is a book from the Expanse series and needs to be read in order. The first book is Leviathan Wakes.

     Since man had discovered a way to travel at least from Earth to Pluto, the human race has prospered and colonized as far as it could reach. But now, the game has once again changed, the gates left by an unknown alien race, has given the opportunity for humans to inhabit numerous new Goldilock planets.

     A small group of humans break the rules, take a ship and unlawfully inhabit a planet that was designated for a group of scientists to explore before any settlement. Well, in steps the crew of The Roci, to keep the peace between the between the two parties, and as usual, the crew ends up knee deep in trouble.

     I love the way this series shrinks the universe once again as several other characters, from previous books become prominent players in this installment. Again, I am not disappointed, another great ride, perfectly woven tale, of science fiction. Didn’t disappoint, not that any of the books of these series have, science fiction done well.

     There is a series that started last year on SyFy based on this series, The Expanse. It was how I found out about this series, and it does respectfully to the spirit of the series. To me , it’s worth checking out if you enjoy the books.

     A little side note: Science Fiction has become science fact. A boy recently was born with DNA of two females and one male. The extra DNA was used to replace the DNA that could carry a genetic and deadly disease, one step closer to James Holden on reality.

    

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (audiobook) by George R.R. Martin

This book wasn't disappointing but it felt like it could have had been more to the story. It kind of had a feeling like a short story. I wanted more. It was still a good story, but I wanted more character development. The two main characters were great, but I felt like I missed out on how they really started to mesh with each other and why hint of going to a place and then jump passed that adventure, and then take a decent leap into the future.

     To be honest I expected a bit more, even one of the novella’s I read in Dangerous Women had a bit better balance to the characters, I’m not saying they have to have in depth development, just the right balance of past and present revelations and growth to the characters. It just seemed like a bit was missing between Egg and Dunc.

     I do like these characters and hope to read of their further adventures. It was good audio book listen. Narrator was good, but nobody seems to beat Royce Daltrice when narrating a Martin book.

     If you haven’t read The Song of Ice and Fire series, aka Game of Thrones. Then this book is a decent introduction to that world, though it’s a century before the series takes place.

     The first book in The Song of Ice and Fire is Game of Thrones. The series, Game of Thrones is also a really good watch, though it respectfully veers from the series from time to time. What I mean is, any changes are things I could see the author doing, if he went a different direction.

     Worth checking out.

Autumn Thorns by Yasmine Galenorn

     This is the first in a new series by the author. I first got hooked on Galenorn's stories through her Sisters of the Moon series, which starts with Witchling.
    Once Whisper Hollow decides it needs you, there's no where to run.
     Kerris fled Whisper Hollow and started a new life. For fifteen years, she was her own woman, as much as she could be. But then she is called home, and saying no is not an option.
     So Kerris returns to Whisper Hollows, and accepts her destiny, her birthright, and as she accepts her place in the town, she begins to unravel some hidden secrets about her past, and in doing so, begins to reveal her new enemies.
     This book grabs the reader, and swings them around, tosses them in the air, and sends them tumbling through a wonderful tale of mystery, discovery, and the right amount of character interaction in a well balanced tale, that really keeps the reader hooked.
     I can't wait for book two. A series worth checking out if you like supernatural thrillers.

Independence Day: Resurgence

This sequel was not one of those that I thought, yeah, I want to see this. At least my expectations weren't high. Rotten Tomatoes low score wasn't a surprise once I saw it.
     It wasn't awful, it was just missing what made the first Independence Day a great film. The story was minimal because you just get dropped into this new future, twenty years from the first story. There's no connection point with the characters, like in the first one.
     I little time using effective flashbacks, or start soon after the first film ended, and see character relationships form and grow a bit would have helped pull the audience into the story.
     The action was good, but most of the film tries to pull the watcher in, like the first with the human side of things, and fails, because one hardly cares about the characters, new or old.
     It just sadly fell flat. I have seen much better sequels of many films, and sadly, this one is not one of my favorites. It may not have burned as film, but the story should did crash.

The Legend of Tarzan

     I will admit when I first found out they were making another Tarzan film, I wasn't that interested in seeing it.
     The film was better than I thought, though it was much more action over a interwoven  story line with better character interaction and developments of sorts.
     I would have liked the film better if you had the more traditional Tarzan and Jane first meet film, and then maybe had this one later.
     Overall, it wasn't a bad film. I did have doubts at first with the choice to play Tarzan, but after I watched the film, I was proven wrong, plus, he had great on screen chemistry with his Jane. The storyline wasn't bad, and the cation was good.
     Characters were likable, and the past was blended nicely into the story line without feeling forced. Probably better to see it in the theater, given the gorillas and such in the film.

Panther Prowling by Yasmine Galenorn

This is a book in The Sisters of the Otherworld series. It needs to be read in order. The first book is Witchling.

     This story is told from the perspective of Delilah. Again, Galenorn does not disappoint. This installment involves a cursed sword; ghost Vikings, and the sisters cousin Daniel.

     As always the story is a well balanced blend of character drama and everyday life, intricately woven with the right amount of action and chaos. Plus, several major revelations, and character changes that perfectly make another good read in the series.

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

     This is the third book in The Expanse series and needs to be read in order. The first book is Leviathan Wakes.

     This third installment doesn't disappoint. The line of dominoes that was pushed by the release of the Protomolecule,  has given the opportunity for someone to put Holden once again in the cross-hairs, setting a secret plan in motion, one that needed what the Protomolecule Gate inn order to pull Holden into the right place, at the right time. But this time the threat isn't just The Protomolecule and the humans who have been playing God, and trying to manipulate things to their favor, it’s not even the player with grim intentions for Holden and his crew, the worst threat was already brought within them to the Gate.

     By the end, again, one is left wondering where the humans of The Expanse will end up next.