Reviews are listed alphabetically by author, with the first line of the book beneath the title.
Pride and Prejudice
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
The Martian Chronicles
One minute it was Ohio winter, with doors closed, windows locked, the panes blind with frost, icicles fringing every roof, children skiing on slopes, housewives lumbering like great black bears in their furs along the icy streets.
And then a long wave of warmth crossed the small town.
Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles.
Shards of Honor
A sea of mist drifted through the cloud forest, soft, grey, luminescent.
Bujold, Lois McMaster. Shards of Honor.
Flash Gold
Kali McAlister tapped a wrench against her thigh as she contemplated her invention.
Buroker, Lindsay. Flash Gold.
Ender’s Game
“I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one. Or at least as close as we’re going to get.”
Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game.
The Worthing Saga
In many places in the Peopled Worlds, the pain came suddenly in the midst of the day’s labor.
Card, Orson Scott. The Worthing Saga.
Voyager in Night
Trishanamarandu-kepta was <>’s name, of shape subject to change and configurations of consciousness likewise mutable. But Trishanamarandu-kepta within-the-shell kept alert against the threat of subversive alterations, for some of the guests aboard were unreliable in disposition and in sanity.
Cherryh, C. J. Voyager in Night.
Downbelow Station
The stars, like all man’s other ventures, were an obvious impracticality, as rash and improbable an ambition as the first venture of man onto Earth’s own great oceans, or into the air, or into space.
Cherryh, C. J. Downbelow Station.
Merchanter’s Luck
Their names were Sandor and Allison…Kreja and Reilly respectively.
Cherryh, C. J. Merchanter’s Luck.
The Lifecycle of Software Objects
Her name is Ana Alvarado, and she’s having a bad day.
Chiang, Ted. The Lifecycle of Software Objects.
2001: A Space Odyssey
The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended.
Clarke, Arthur C. 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Childhood’s End
The volcano that had reared Taratua up from the Pacific depths had been sleeping now for half a million years. Yet in a little while, thought Reinhold, the island would be bathed with fires fiercer than any that had attended its birth.
Clarke, Arthur C. Childhood’s End.
The Hunger Games
When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games.
WARNING! SPOILERS
Passage at Arms
The personnel carrier lurches through the ruins under a wounded sky.
Cook, Glen. Passage at Arms.
Monster Hunter International
On one otherwise normal Tuesday evening I had the chance to live the American dream. I was able to throw my incompetent jackass of a boss from a fourteenth-story window.
Correia, Larry. Monster Hunter International.
Wolfhound
Jacob Hull smiled with relief as he stepped out of the hatch of the shuttle that had brought him to the station.
Debenham, Kindal. Wolfhound.
With the Lightnings
Lieutenant Daniel Leary ambled through the streets of Kostroma City in the black-piped gray 2nd Class uniform of the Republic of Cinnabar Navy.
Drake, David. With the Lightnings.
Starliner
The starship shimmered yellow in the midts of three spikes of blue flux, the magnetic motors of the tugs which added their thrust to that of the larger vessel.
David Drake. Starliner.
Momo
Long, long ago, when people spoke languages quite different from our own, many fine, big cities already existed in the sunny lands of the world.
Ende, Michael. Momo.
The Neverending Story
[Carl Conrad Coriander — Used Books] This inscription could be seen on the glass door of a small shop, but naturally this was only the way it looked if you were inside the dimly lit shop, looking out at the street through the plate glass door.
Ende, Michael. The Neverending Story.
Date Night on Union Station
“In conclusion, it is the view of Union Station consulate that the trade in counterfiet Earth chess sets has not been impacted by enforcement activities, and perversely, the crackdown has forced the principal actors to master molecular tagging, thus accelerating their technical competency and leading to increasingly sophisticated forgeries of other high value exports, especially playing cards and kitchen gadgets.”
Foner, E.M. Date Night on Union Station.
The Madness Season
When the series of images ended I reached out and flicked the projector switch off, sending the last holo spiraling down into darkness.
Friedman, C.S. The Madness Season.
Legend
Rek was drunk.
Gemmell, David. Legend.
The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend
The axe was four feet long, with a ten-pound head, the blade flared, and sharp as any sword.
Gemmell, David. The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend.
The King Beyond the Gate
The barracks building stood shrouded in snow, the broken windows hanging open like old, unhealed wounds.
Gemmell, David. The King Beyond the Gate.
Quest for Lost Heroes
Seventeen people watched the duel, and not a sound could be heard above the whispering of the blades and the discordant music of steel on steel.
Gemmell, David. Quest for Lost Heroes.
Waylander
They had begun to torture the priest when the stranger stepped from the shadows of the trees.
Gemmell, David. Waylander.
In the Realm of the Wolf
The man called Angel sat quietly in the corner of the tavern, his huge gnarled hands cupped around a goblet of mulled wine and his scarred features hidden by a black hood.
Gemmell, David. In the Realm of the Wolf.
Hero in the Shadows
Waylander swayed in the saddle, the weight of weariness and pain bearing down on him, washing away the anger.
Gemmell, David. Hero in the Shadows.
White Wolf
Smoke from the burning buildings still hung in the air, but the rioting mobs of yesterday had dispersed now, as the two priests walked slowly down the hill toward the town.
Gemmell, David. White Wolf.
The Swords of Night and Day
The sun was warm in a blue sky as the Priestess Ustarte stood at the graveside, watching her aides disguising the tomb.
Gemmell, David. The Swords of Night and Day.
Winter Warriors
The night sky over the mountains was clear and bright, the stars like diamonds on sable.
Gemmell, David. Winter Warriors.
The Legend of Deathwalker
The moon hung like a sickle blade over Dros Delnoch, and Pellin stood quietly staring down at the Nadir camp in the lunar light below.
Gemmell, David. The Legend of Deathwalker.
Ghost King
The boy stared idly at the cold gray walls and wondered if the castle dungeons could be any more inhospitable than this chilly turret room with its single window staring like an eye into the teeth of the north wind.
Gemmell, David. Ghost King.
The Jerusalem Man
The rider paused at the crest of a wooded hill and gazed down over the wide, rolling, empty lands beneath him. There was no sign of Jerusalem. No dark road, glittering with diamonds. But then Jerusalem was always ahead, beckoning in the dreams of night, taunting him to find her on the black, umbilical road.
Gemmell, David. The Jerusalem Man.
The Prophet
AL MUSTAFA the chosen and the beloved, who was a dawn unto his own day, had waited twelve years in the city of Orphalese for his ship that was to return and bear him back to the isle of his birth.
Gibran, Gibran Khalil. The Prophet.
Neuromancer
The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.
Gibson, William. Neuromancer.
The Forever War
“Tonight we’re going to show you eight silent ways to kill a man.”
Haldeman, Joe. The Forever War.
Citizen of the Galaxy
“Lot ninety-seven,” the auctioneer announced. “A boy.”
Heinlein, Robert A. Citizen of the Galaxy.
Starship Troopers
I always get the shakes before a drop.
Heinlein, Robert A. Starship Troopers.
Farnham’s Freehold
“It’s not a hearing aid,” Hubert Farnham explained. “It’s a radio, tuned to the emergency frequency.”
Heinlein, Robert A. Farnham’s Freehold.
Stray
Where the FUCK am I????
Höst, Andrea K. Stray.
One Confirmed Kill
The following is not fiction.
Johnston, Peter. One Confirmed Kill.
The Dispossessed
There was a wall.
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Dispossessed.
The Left Hand of Darkness
I’ll make my report as if I told a story, for I was taught as a child on my homeworld that Truth is a matter of the imagination.
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness.
Out of the Silent Planet
He walked fairly fast, and doggedly, without looking much about him, like a man trying to shorten the way with some interesting train of thought.
Lewis, C.S. Out of the Silent Planet.
Quarter Share
Call me Ishmael.
Lowell, Nathan. Quarter Share.
The Bourne Identity
The trawler plunged into the angry swells of the dark, furious sea like an awkward animal trying desperately to break out of an impenetrable swamp.
Ludlum, Robert. The Bourne Identity.
Paradise Seekers
“Push me!”
Major, Nathan. Paradise Seekers.
A Game of Thrones
The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer.
Martin, George R. R. A Game of Thrones.
Dying of the Light
A rogue, an aimless wanderer, creation’s castaway; this world was all those things.
Martin, George R. R. Dying of the Light.
Dragonsflight
Lessa woke, cold. Cold with more than the chill of the everlastingly clammy stone walls.
McCaffrey, Anne. Dragonsflight.
Bimbos of the Death Sun
The visiting Scottish folksinger peered out of the elevator into the hotel lobby.
McCrumb, Sharyn. Bimbos of the Death Sun.
Twilight
I’d never given much thought to how I would die–though I’d had reason enough in the last few months–but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.
Meyers, Stephanie. Twilight.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Brother Francis Gerard of Utah might never have discovered the blessed documents, had it not been for the pilgrim with girded loins who appeared during that young novice’s Lenten fast in the desert.
Miller, Walter M. Jr. A Canticle for Leibowitz.
Once A Hero
Esmay Suiza had done her best to clean up before reporting as ordered to the admiral aboard her flagship, but the mutiny and the following battle had left her little time.
Moon, Elizabeth. Once A Hero.
Goddesses
In the birthing room of a tiny clinic, in a town in Southern India, holding the hand of another man’s wife, Michael Fielding felt chaos rise quietly through the world.
Nagata, Linda. Goddesses.
Skye Object 3270a
Skye’s skin suit was a royal blue so hot it glowed.
Nagata, Linda. Skye Object 3270a.
The Mote in God’s Eye
Throughout the past thousand years of history it has been traditional to regard the Alderson Drive as an unmixed blessing.
Niven, Larry and Jerry Pournelle. The Mote in God’s Eye.
Sabriel
It was little more than three miles from the Wall into the Old Kingdom, but that was enough.
Nix, Garth. Sabriel.
Tarnsman of Gor
My name is Tarl Cabot.
Norman, John. Tarnsman of Gor.
Yesterday’s Gone: Episode One
On the day everything changed, Brent Foster’s biggest concern was getting an hour to himself.
Platt, Sean & David Wright. Yesterday’s Gone, Episode One.
The Golden Compass
Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening hall, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen.
Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass.
Revelation Space
There was a razorstorm coming in.
Reynolds, Alastair. Revelation Space.
Pushing Ice
Parry Boyce looked up from the rippled red surface of the comet.
Reynolds, Alastair. Pushing Ice.
Red Mars
Mars was empty before we came.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. Red Mars.
Ali and Nino
We were a very mixed lot, we forty schoolboys who were having a Geography lesson one hot afternoon in the Imperial Russian Humanistic High School of Baku, Transcaucasia: thirty Mohammedans, four Armenians, two Poles, three Sectarians, and one Russian.
Said, Kurban. Ali and Nino.
Mistborn
Ash fell from the sky.
Sanderson, Brandon. Mistborn.
Old Man’s War
I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife’s grave. Then I joined the army.
Scalzi, John. Old Man’s War.
The Killer Angels
He rode into the dark of the woods and dismounted. He crawled upward on his belly over cool rocks out into the sunlight, and suddenly he was in the open and he could see for miles, and there was the whole vast army below him, filling the valley like a smoking river.
Shaara, Michael. The Killer Angels.
That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made
Sol Central Station floated amid the fusing hydrogen of the solar core, 400,000 miles under the surface of the sun, protected only by the thin shell of an energy shield, but that wasn’t why my palm sweat slicked the plastic pulpit of the station’s multidenominational chapel.
Stone, Eric James. That Leviathan Whom Thou Hast Made.
Captain Cosette
No one helped Cosette cut the heavy vine of ambrosia fruit.
Sundrud, R. Bruce. Captain Cosette.
The Dying Earth
Turjan Sat in his workroom, legs sprawled out from the stool, back against and elbows on the bench. Across the room was a cage; into this Turjan gazed with rueful vexation. The creature in the cage returned the scrutiny with emotions beyond conjecture.
Vance, Jack. The Dying Earth.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten.
Verne, Jules. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
I Am Not a Serial Killer
Mrs. Anderson was dead.
Wells, Dan. I Am Not a Serial Killer.
Mr. Monster
It was one a.m. and I was staring at a cat.
Wells, Dan. Mr. Monster.
I Don’t Want to Kill You
I didn’t know Jenny Zeller very well. Nobody did, really. I guess that’s why she killed herself.
Wells, Dan. I Don’t Want to Kill You.
A Hidden Place
The municipality of Haute Montagne stood at the junction of the Fresnel River and the railway, its water tower and its huge granaries erupting from the prairie like blocks of basalt from an eroded sea floor. Once, not long ago, the town had aspired to be a city.
Wilson, Robern Charles. A Hidden Place.
Mysterium
Dex Graham woke with the sun in his eyes and the weave of Evelyn Woodward’s bedroom carpet printed on the side of his face.
Wilson, Robert Charles. Mysterium.
Spin
Everybody falls, and we all land somewhere.
Wilson, Robert Charles. Spin.
Axis
In the summer of his twelfth year–the summer the stars began to fall from the sky–the boy Isaac discovered that he could tell east from west with his eyes closed.
Wilson, Robert Charles. Axis.
Vortex
No more, Sandra Cole thought when she woke up in her sweltering apartment.
Wilson, Robert Charles. Vortex.
On My Way To Paradise
A dusty gray hovercraft floated to a stop in front of my booth in the feria. As its door flipped open, an emaciated woman struggled up from the shadows within and into the stabbing daylight.
Wolverton, Dave. On My Way to Paradise.
Jemma 7729
I survived my first encounter with State Security of the Administrative Government of North America.
Wray, Phoebe. Jemma 7729.