last reads

Dark Orbit by Carolyn Ives Gilman Publishing information: Hardback; 304pgs Publisher: Tor; 14 July 2015 ISBN: 978-0765336293 Stanalone Copy: Provided by publisher Reviewer: Tyson Amazon Synopsis: "From Nebula and Hugo Award-nominated Carolyn Ives Gilman comes Dark Orbit, a compelling novel featuring alien contact, mystery, and murder. Reports of a strange, new habitable planet have reached the Twenty Planets of human civilization. When a team of scientists is assembled to investigate this world, exoethnologist Sara Callicot is recruited to keep an eye on an unstable crewmate. Thora was once a member of the interplanetary elite, but since her prophetic delusions helped mobilize a revolt on Orem, she's been banished to the farthest reaches of space, because of the risk that her very presence could revive unrest. Upon arrival, the team finds an extraordinary crystalline planet, laden with dark matter. Then a crew member is murdered and Thora mysteriously disappears. Thought to be...

I recently received a review copy of Carolyn Ives Gilman's novel, Dark Orbit and plan to read later this month but Carolyn was nice enough to stop by and provide us with an interview. So without further ado: Speculative Book Review: Care to introduce yourself to the Speculative Book Review readers? Carolyn Ives Gilman:  I am Carolyn Ives Gilman, and my fourth speculative fiction novel, Dark Orbit , comes out in July 2015.   It is set in the Twenty Planets universe—the same as my first novel, Halfway Human , though only one minor character appears in both books .   It’s also the universe for three of my novellas ( The Honeycrafters , Arkfall , and The Ice Owl ).   All three were nominated for Nebula Awards; the last one also made it to the Hugo ballot.   So this universe has been popular with readers, and I thought I ought to spend more time in it. When I’m not on one of the Twenty Planets, I spend my time developing exhibits at the National Museum of the America...