Randomize by Andy Weir

 Once again Andy Weir wows in this novella about supercomputing and the gambling industry.

A new supercomputer has just been developed that will help the Babylon Casino ensure that the random numbers generated for their keno game are truly random and thwart any attempt at gaming the system. But can inside knowledge be the downfall of the number generator?

There is a great cast of characters in this story--from the IT guy, the head of the casino, and the computer salesman and his wife. I was often scratching my head trying to figure out who was good and who wasn't. Some of the technology explanations were way over my head but that didn't make it any less of an entertaining story. Another winner from Weir. 4.5 stars.

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You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

I was somewhat surprised to see Amor Towles contributing to a futuristic story collection; it's nice to see writers stepping outside their known genres.

In the near future, Sam and his wife are relying on a fertility lab to help them decide not just the sex of their child, but its personality traits as well. Not only that, they are given a preview of what will become of the three different personality types they have selected--and it's not always a rosy picture. In exploring their future child, Sam is also confronted with his own life choices--again, not always rosy. What to do? What to do?

This is an often disquieting story billed as nature versus nurture--throw in the cold-blooded scientific approach and it is very unsettling at best. Another good story by an excellent storyteller. 4.5 stars.

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Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin

 N.K. Jemisin's contribution to this six-story collection is an interesting look at humanity.

The supposed best and brightest have left a climate-ravaged Earth and built their own society on another world. Centuries later they send back a soldier to collect a much-needed compound known to exist on Earth. Expecting destruction, the soldier is surprised to find the planet flourishing and the natives friendly and willing to give away the sought-after compound. Perplexed, the soldier vacillates between wanting to know more about Earth and following orders.

Having an AI voice directing the soldier was interesting but also confusing at times: the multiple dialogues contrasted the self-will of the soldier versus its directive which was often at odds. We learn what the off-shoot culture became and how mankind pulled together to save Earth. A bit preachy at times, but it's still an entertaining story. 2.5 stars.

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Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

 Blake Crouch is the driving force behind this futuristic story collection and should be applauded for the contributions made by so many well-known authors.

Riley is working on a game when one of the minor characters, who is supposed to die, suddenly decides not to die. What's with that? Maxine begins exploring the boundaries of the game and Riley begins interacting with her trying to figure out what has happened. Years pass as Riley works with the AI character Max and he experiments with her becoming more sentient. No lines are drawn as to how far Riley can evolve Max and the more self-aware she becomes the more questions arise as to what constitutes being human.

This is a timely story with the recent controversies over AI and its use. It is thought-provoking and well worth the read. 4 stars.

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Ark by Veronica Roth

 In this first novella of sci-fi and futuristic fiction by collected authors, Earth is on the eve of being destroyed by an asteroid. Most inhabitants have been evacuated; only a few dedicated scientists remain, busily cataloging specimens before they, too, board the Ark. Samantha, a botanist, has formed a tie with reclusive scientist Hagen and bonded over their love of flowers. Hagen has decided to stay and now Samantha is also rethinking if she should evacuate.

This is an interesting story and deals with our fear of the unknown. Even though this is a novella, I still wish more had gone into Samantha's reasoning for staying and dying versus a possible lifetime searching for a new habitat. 3.5 stars.

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These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs

I love a good sci-fi space opera and I especially like finding new authors in the genre. With These Burning Stars, the first in a planned trilogy, I have found both.

The Hand, the governing body of the Kindom consists of three branches: Clerics, Secretaries, and Cloaks When Esek Nightfoot, a prominent Cleric and member of a powerful First Family, discovers two students at a school, she ends up mentoring one, Chono, and challenging the other, Six, to "...do something extraordinary". Little does Esek know what she has unleashed on the Kindom with her challenge.

Meanwhile, con artist Jun Ironway has come into possession of evidence that threatens the very existence of The Hand and the Nightfoot family empire. As Esek and Chono search for Jun, Six is playing her own game of cat-and-mouse with them--always one step ahead and taunting Esek.

This is a complex world-building novel with subplots and twists that form a tapestry of a star system fraught with political intrigue. The characters are well-developed with excellent writing and pacing that moves the story forward. However, I had a problem with the gender-neutral pronouns used for Six. It was confusing when the word "they" would be used for both Six and multiple characters in the same sentence. I understand why the author chose this for the character, it was just hard to follow sometimes. This is an excellent debut novel from Bethany Jacobs and I look forward to the next installment in the series. 4 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is October 17, 2023.

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On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down by James Fell

You'll like this book if you enjoy history, especially if it's told irreverently. Author James Fell does a great job of bringing little-known historical facts to light and fleshing out more well-known references. This is a breezy, conversationally written book with some speculation as well as facts that, fair warning, contains salty language with many f-bombs.

There are entries for each day with historical factoids spanning from B.C.E. to current times; it is both enlightening and informative. After reading this book, I'm rethinking my love of Coca-Cola (January 29), what happened to Sacagawea (April 9),  and whether Mother Teresa is as sainted as she is portrayed (October 7). There are some heart-warming entries and entries that will ruffle your feathers but no matter your take, they are all informative.

I read this book beginning with the January 1 entry and continuing sequentially to December 31. You can jump around however with no loss of continuity, but you risk missing some good entries. Again the warning: if you don't like swearing or if you believe what Fox News tells you, I recommend giving this book a pass. 4/5 Stars.

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