Welcome to Sarah's staff recommendation page!
Playing on our very real concerns about the future of armed conflict, Dogs of War explores what happens when our weapons can question the morality of what they're being commanded to do. Told from the perspective of Rex, a combat Bioform built from a dog, and those around him, Adrian Tchaikovsky applies his expert eye for extrapolation to the best and worst of modern humanity, painting a picture equally terrifying and optimistic. Dogs of War reminds us that there are plenty of good people and sentient beings in our world, and they are worth fighting for. Rex, as it turns out, is a very good dog.
Set against an inescapable prison in an earthly yet alien jungle, this is the firsthand account of the end of the world as told by historian-turned-political-prisoner Stefan Advani. As the world around him rapidly adapts to the changes wrought by previous generations of humanity, the human world stagnates as it refuses to save itself. Despite the stark setting, this is a book about determination and hope and the will to survive and thrive with those we hold most dear. The last moments left me with a deep sensation of hope and awe that I will not soon forget.
Even in the midst of a pandemic, John Scalzi shows us there is still hope and something to smile about with The Kaiju Preservation Society. Starting in a world just like ours, things quickly change as the curtain is lifted and the parallel world of the Kaiju, giant walking ecosystems, and the people that study and protect them is revealed. Why do giant monsters need protecting? Same reason the rest of the animal kingdom needs protecting: humans exist. This book is a fun and wild rollercoaster ride that left me smiling for days after I finished it.
We've all said things that we've regretted to those we love. Things not meant to be said outside of our own heads. Sometimes we apologize and, if we're lucky, sometimes we're forgiven. Cori and Maz never got their chance for forgiveness when their friend Sam disappeared one Halloween night. Years later, they have both dealt with the loss of their friend poorly. Cori, lost in the expectations of those around her, struggles to find herself. Maz, unable to leave the guilt behind, slowly self-destructs to forget the pain. In an apparent miracle, Sam returns just as he was, but something isn't quite right. Farizan brings life to these characters and their trials in a heartfelt way and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
Espionage & politics are two very different disciplines. Jack Ryan finds himself deep in both worlds as he tries to get an American spy safely out of the Kremlin in what is possibly Clancy's finest book.
Channeling Michael Crichton with his solid use of science and believability, Suarez brings his own punk sensibility to Near Earth Space. In a future in dire need of a new frontier, Suarez imagines a world that's not quite ready to take the next step, but there are those that are ready to do it anyway. Intending to ask for forgiveness instead of permission, the crew of the first asteroid mining expedition sets off into the unknown solely on the promise of a distant payday and the honor of being the first. Gripping from beginning to end, Suarez shoots for the Moon but truly ends up in the stars!
