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Carver County Library Suggests Recently… All About the Space
Becky Chambers – Record of a Spaceborn Few (CHA 2018) Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries of wandering, their descendants were accepted by the species that govern the Milky Way. But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic. . . As many Exodans leave for alien cities or terrestrial colonies, those who remain are left to ponder: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? Why remain in space when there are habitable worlds available? What is the price of sustaining their carefully balanced way of life – and is it worth saving at all?
Mary Robinette Kowal – The Calculating Stars (KOW 2018) A meteor decimates the U.S. government, beginning a cataclysm that will render the earth inhospitable, radically accelerating the timelineof the effort to colonize space. One of the new entrants in the space race is Elma York, a WASP pilot and mathematician working on the International Aerospace Coalition's attempts to put man on the moon. But with so many skilled women pilots and scientists involved with the program, Elma begins to wonder why they can't go into space, too. . .
Gareth L. Powell – Embers of War (POW 2018) The sentient warship Trouble Dog was built for violence, yet following a brutal war, she is disgusted by her role in a genocide. Stripped of her weaponry and seeking to atone, she joins an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress. When a civilian ship goes missing, Trouble Dog and her new crew are sent on a rescue mission. Meanwhile, lightyears away, intelligence officer Ashton Childe is tasked with locating the poet, Ona Sudak, who was aboard the missing spaceship and is not what she seems. . .
Kim Stanley Robinson – Red Moon (ROB 2018) 30 years from now, we have colonized the moon. American Fred Fredericks is making his first trip, to install a communications system for China's Lunar Science Foundation. But hours after his arrival he witnesses a murder and is forced into hiding. It is also the first visit for celebrity travel reporter Ta Shu, whose contacts and influence,won ’t make the moon any less perilous. Finally, there is Chan Qi, the daughter of the Minister of Finance, and a person of interest to those in power. She is on the moon for reasons of her own, but when she attempts to return to China in secret, the events that unfold will change everything. . . www.carverlib.org
Catherynne M. Valente – Space Opera (VAL 2018) A century ago, war tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented. . . Once every cycle, all civilizations gather for the Metagalactic Grand Prix – part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part continuation of the wars of the past. This year, humankind has discovered the enormous universe and their right to existence is under scrutiny. The washed-up Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes have been chosen to represent their planet to the galaxy. And the fate of Earth lies in their ability to rock.
Sue Burke – Semiosis (BUR 2018) In the not-too-distant future, with Earth facing blight and war, a group of 50 space travelers endure a 158-year hibernation to reach the planet Pax. There they hope to create a harmonious society attuned to nature and devoid of Earth's contentious politics. While deciphering the planet's secrets, the colonists discover that the predators on the planet number beyond various carnivores and include sentient plants that view the humans as both enemies and allies. . .
Michael Benson – Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke and the making of a masterpiece (791.4372 BEN 2018) Regarded as a masterpiece today, 2001: A Space Odyssey received mixed reviews on its 1968 release. Director Stanley Kubrick wasn't yet recognized as a great filmmaker, and 2001 was radical, with little dialogue and no strong central character. Although critics slammed the film as incomprehensible and self- indulgent, the public lined up to see it. 2001's commercial success launched the genre of big-budget science fiction spectaculars. Michael Benson explains how 2001 was made, telling the story primarily through the two people most responsible for the film, Kubrick and science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke.
Alec Nevala-Lee – Astounding. . .the golden age of science fiction (808.3876 NEV 2018) The landmark account of the extraordinary partnership between four controversial writers – John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and L. Ron Hubbard – who set off a revolution in science fiction and forever changed our world. With unprecedented scope, drama, and detail, Astounding describes how fan culture was born in the depths of the Great Depression; follows these four friends and rivals through World War II and the dawn of the atomic era; and honors such exceptional women as Doña Campbell and Leslyn Heinlein, whose pivotal roles in the history of the genre have gone largely unacknowledged.
Star Trek: Discovery (DVD TV SERIES STA) Star Trek, one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises, returns 50 years after it first premiered, withStar Trek: Discovery. The series features a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers.