M.C.
The Influence of William Gibson
(Photo: William Gibson at the Spook Country promotional tour in San Francisco, CA. Taken by Fred Armitage August 2007.) As a relatively...
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Matthew Cushing
Speculative Fiction Author | Editor | Beta Reader
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Thoughts on all things Spec Fic
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M.C.
Feb 13
Book Review - Dune
I recently finished reading Frank Herbert’s Dune for the first time, and I can’t believe I had waited for so long. It is a foundational...
M.C.
Jan 25
Book Review - The Mountain In the Sea
In the not-so-distant future, oceans are reeling from effects of climate change, pollution, and overfishing. Yet, in one of the few...
M.C.
Jan 17
Book Review - Count Zero
In a return to the Sprawl, William Gibson brings us Count Zero, the follow-up to Neuromancer and second book in the trilogy. Taking place...
M.C.
Dec 15, 2023
Review of Asimov's Foundation - Book and Series
Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series is a seminal work of science fiction, prominently topping many lists of ground-breaking and...
M.C.
May 15, 2023
Book Review - The Left-Handed Booksellers of London
Garth Nix explores Earth in a slightly-alternate 1983 London for his latest fantasy The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. The story...
M.C.
Feb 1, 2023
Book Review - Fairy Tale
This book is exactly what the cover says: a fairy tale by Stephen King. The story is both familiar with elements integrated from a...
M.C.
Jul 7, 2022
Book Review - Iron Truth
I read this book as a judge of the 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition. Everything about this book is epic. Epic story, epic...
M.C.
Jul 7, 2022
Book Review - Steel Guardian
This book was a finalist in the inaugural 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition, and I read it as a judge. Simply put, this...
M.C.
Jul 7, 2022
Book Review - Captain Wu, Starship Nameless
This book was a finalist for the 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC), and I read it as a judge. A 61-year-old Asian...
M.C.
Jul 7, 2022
Book Review - A Star Named Vega
I read this book as a Finalist in the 2021 SPSFC for which I was a judge. This YA-oriented story is one of the mechanically best written...
M.C.
Jul 7, 2022
Book Review - In the Orbit of Sirens
This book is a Finalist in the 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC), and I read this as a judge. In the Orbit of...
M.C.
Jul 7, 2022
Book Review - Monster of the Dark
This book is a Finalist in the 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC), and I read this as a judge. The story of a...
M.C.
Jul 7, 2022
Book Review - Duckett & Dyer
In full disclosure, as a judge for the 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC), I read this book as it is a Finalist. ...
M.C.
Jan 18, 2022
Book Review - All Systems Red
I’m not sure why I’m late the party (there are likely many reasons), but I just started reading the Murderbot Diaries from Martha Wells...
M.C.
Dec 24, 2021
Book Review - Kill Creek
There’s nothing like a good ghost story to affect your sleep and force you to stare into your room's dark corners to make sure nothing is...
M.C.
Jun 12, 2021
Book Review - The Keep
I first read The Keep in the ‘80s, about ten years after it was released. Though the first installment of F. Paul Wilson’s Adversary...
M.C.
Dec 20, 2020
Book Review: Ready Player One/Two
** Spoilers included ** Ready Player One might be one of my favorite books of all time just by the amount of pure enjoyment I felt while...
M.C.
Sep 11, 2020
Book Review: Caves of Steel
A murder has occurred in Spacetown, and enclosed mega-city (NYC under a dome) detective Elijah Bailey is partnered with human-looking...
M.C.
Jul 23, 2020
Book Review: Black Sun Rising
Though C.S. Friedman’s Black Sun Rising, Book One of her Coldfire Trilogy, isn’t as well known as other fantasy epics, it deserves...
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