A person stands by a tall window in a warm modern reading lounge, while an open notebook, books, a mug, and eyeglasses rest on a long wooden desk beside a gray armchair, built-in shelves, and a dark stone fireplace.

Tales from Science Fiction

Science fiction reviews, written over a cup gone cold

Notes on new and old science fiction, one well-thumbed book at a time: what it does well, where it stumbles, and whether it earns a second read.
About
Two library workers sort and place colorful books on a rolling shelf and a large wooden table, with open cardboard boxes of books below and around them in a bright, modern library.
A man leans over an open book at a wooden table, concentrating on the pages in a quiet home study with stacked notebooks, a pen, a mug, and reading glasses nearby, while warm daylight enters through a large window beside an armchair and floor lamp.
Two shoppers browse books in a modern independent bookstore, where one handles a book at a display table stacked with books and another stands by the shelves beneath tall windows and a broad timber doorway.

Reviews

Each review leads with its cover and carries a rating from the reviewer.

Two library workers sort and place colorful books on a rolling shelf and a large wooden table, with open cardboard boxes of books below and around them in a bright, modern library.

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Find your next science fiction read

Every review tells you what the book does well, where it falters, and who it suits.

May 2026Tales from Science Fiction

Where to start a science fiction shelf, and which classics earn the spot

Mar 2026Tales from Science Fiction

Short science fiction novels for a long weekend

Jan 2026Tales from Science Fiction

Rereading the old science fiction that still holds up

One letter a month, and an honest one

A short essay, a note on what I'm reading, and whatever is true about the book I'm stuck on that month.

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  • A man leans over an open book at a wooden table, concentrating on the pages in a quiet home study with stacked notebooks, a pen, a mug, and reading glasses nearby, while warm daylight enters through a large window beside an armchair and floor lamp.
  • Two shoppers browse books in a modern independent bookstore, where one handles a book at a display table stacked with books and another stands by the shelves beneath tall windows and a broad timber doorway.
  • A bookstore worker in an apron bends over a gray crate of colorful new books resting on a wooden pallet, arranging the inventory in a warm, wood-shelved shop with a rolling cart of boxes and a worktable nearby.
  • Two library workers sort and place colorful books on a rolling shelf and a large wooden table, with open cardboard boxes of books below and around them in a bright, modern library.
  • A man leans over an open book at a wooden table, concentrating on the pages in a quiet home study with stacked notebooks, a pen, a mug, and reading glasses nearby, while warm daylight enters through a large window beside an armchair and floor lamp.
  • Two shoppers browse books in a modern independent bookstore, where one handles a book at a display table stacked with books and another stands by the shelves beneath tall windows and a broad timber doorway.
  • A man leans over an open book at a wooden table, concentrating on the pages in a quiet home study with stacked notebooks, a pen, a mug, and reading glasses nearby, while warm daylight enters through a large window beside an armchair and floor lamp.
  • Two shoppers browse books in a modern independent bookstore, where one handles a book at a display table stacked with books and another stands by the shelves beneath tall windows and a broad timber doorway.
  • A bookstore worker in an apron bends over a gray crate of colorful new books resting on a wooden pallet, arranging the inventory in a warm, wood-shelved shop with a rolling cart of boxes and a worktable nearby.
  • Two library workers sort and place colorful books on a rolling shelf and a large wooden table, with open cardboard boxes of books below and around them in a bright, modern library.
  • A man leans over an open book at a wooden table, concentrating on the pages in a quiet home study with stacked notebooks, a pen, a mug, and reading glasses nearby, while warm daylight enters through a large window beside an armchair and floor lamp.
  • Two shoppers browse books in a modern independent bookstore, where one handles a book at a display table stacked with books and another stands by the shelves beneath tall windows and a broad timber doorway.