Mitch Wyle's Web Log

The AI's, drawing from my book ratings, recommended Tobias Buckell's The Trove . Its suggestion wasn't entirely off the mark. Bu...

I asked the AI's for book and author recommendations based on my "taste" as objectively measured by my book reviews on this bl...

The Year's Best Science Fiction: 22nd Edition, edited by Gardner Dozois, offers a mixed but intriguing snapshot of early 2000s speculati...

United Fleet attempts to carve out a space opera universe reminiscent of David Weber's intricate world-building, but it falls short of t...

This series draws the reader in with its intriguing premise, great characters, and cosmic scope. It delivers a solid, if not spectacular, r...

This short story has a fairly good plot, but the world-building and magic system are horrible. 2/5 Stars.

I did not like this one.  The magic system was terrible and there were too many plot contrivances. 1/5 Stars.

I read some of the stories before but I enjoyed this compilation and the author's introductions. 5/5 Stars.

I like the continuation of the story and the character arcs.  Fun. 4/5 Stars.

I think a 12-year-old version of me may have enjoyed this book; however, the writing is horrible. The politics are awful, I did not like any...

I think I finally found another space opera series that I really like!  I enjoyed this book. 5/5 Stars.

The story has a lot of action and fun science fiction, with interesting politics from a Cuban perspective but set in a space opera. The homa...

Scattered and unsatisfying. Ridiculous characters and terrible world building. 1/5 Stars.

I had read and was looking for the story in this collection by Allen Steele.  The rest of the stories were also ok; some were very good.  I ...

I finally read an Ishiguro book that I enjoyed!  The author's Nobel Prize winning writing in my favorite genre of science fiction, coupl...

As a Neal Stephenson fan, I am always looking for more of his earlier writing and collaborations that I may have missed.  I found this story...

Despite the nihilistic, dark themes and the gratuitous, purposeless violence, I enjoyed this space opera. The world building is reminiscent ...

One of the genAI chatterbots recommended this series based on my reading history and ratings so I read the first book in the series.  The se...

I liked this story. There are many contrivances and holes in the plot but the magic system is great and the characters are all compelling. I...

I did not like this book. There is no plot. None of the characters is likeable.  There is gratuitous and needless violence. 2/5 Stars.