A Mirror to Life by Jaine Fenn #scifi #postapoc

Title: A Mirror to Life
Author: Jaine Fenn
Genre: Scifi
Publisher: Daybreak Magazine
Available: Free from author's website (pdf)  18 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa

Blurb:
I could tell you a few stories about Jaine Fenn (don’t mention the “Sex and the Singularity” panel), but I’ll refrain and concentrate on the story at hand: “A Mirror to Life”.
There are quite a few tentative links between “A Mirror to Life” and a certain story in the SHINE anthology (I’m intentionally being a bit coy: if you read the antho you’ll know which story I mean) that also involves Artificial Intelligences and religion.
In both stories, the Artificial Intelligences seem to have the best with both humanity and the Earth in mind. One major difference being, that while in the SHINE story the AIs wish to prove themselves as benign, in “A Mirror to Life” the AIs supposedly know what’s best for us.
Humanity, though, might disagree…

What I liked:
Another powerful short story to get you thinking. It reminded me of the film version of I, Robot, where the AI decided what was best for humanity was to keep us imprisoned in our homes to prevent any harm to us, with a touch of The Matrix.

What I didn't like:
At first I didn't quite understand the jumps in perspective, but it becomes apparent why as the story progresses.

In conclusion:
Another story to tug at the heartstrings. Post apocalyptic SciFi with a dark edge but also a glimmer of hope for humanity triumphing over the machines.

The Path to the Sun by Jaine Fenn #alternativehistory

Title: A Path to the Sun
Author: Jaine Fenn
Genre: Alternative History
Publisher: N/A
Available: Free from author's website (pdf)  16 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa

Blurb: none available.

What I liked:
Wow, so this is not something I would have read before but picked up because I'm a Fenn addict and I've finished the Hidden Empire series. Very intriguing short based on the idea of the Aztecs being the victors against the Spanish instead of being wiped out, and a precursor to WWI. There's a heck of a lot of detail and emotion packed into these 16 pages, centred around an Aztec defector seeking sanctuary with the British government and offering flight technology to aid in the upcoming great war prophesied by his people.

What I didn't like:
Nothing. It just left me stunned.

In conclusion:
I'm honestly not sure who to recommend it to, so I'm just going to recommend it to everyone - it's short and it's free, so what do you have to lose by trying it?! I don't generally read historical or alternative history stories, but I loved this. Not only a great short but an intriguing idea, and very British in tone - if you don't like the idea of something written in early 20th century tone, then this might not be for you.

Queen of Nowhere by Jaine Fenn #spaceopera

Title: Queen of Nowhere (Hidden Empire #5)
Author: Jaine Fenn
Genre: Space Opera
Publisher: Gollanz
Available: Amazon $6.99 (Kindle) 341 pages
Rating: 5*
Rater: Pippa





Blurb:
When paranoia is a way of life, trust doesn't come easily.
The Sidhe look like us. They live amongst us. What they lack in numbers they make up with their fearsome mental abilities and the considerable physical resources at their disposal. And their biggest advantage? No one believes they exist.
Almost no one.
Bez, the best hacker in human-space, is fighting a secret war against them. Always one step ahead, never lingering in one place, she's determined to bring them down. But she can't expose the Hidden Empire alone and when the only ally she trusted fails her she must accept help from an unexpected quarter.
Just one misstep, one incorrect assumption, and her Sidhe trap - her life's work - could end in vicious disaster. Worse, if Bez fails then humanity may never have another chance to win free of the manipulative and deadly Sidhe . . .

What I liked:
As always, the complexity and depth of the world building and technology are SciFi heaven to me. At first Bez irritated me with her apparently paranoia fueled obsession with every detail of her situation, but it soon becomes understandable why this is such a big deal. The broad mixture of cultures she has to integrate herself into makes for a believable and diverse universe. Nice twist at the end.

What I didn't like:
I missed Taro, Jarek, and especially Nual, with all three having been cast in much smaller roles in this after being the main characters previously. While the story mostly stays with the central character Bez and in her POV, there are odd jumps to other significant but fleeting characters that threw me out. Toward the end their significance becomes more obvious which makes it easier reading, but some readers might find it jarring. Also, this is apparently the last book. Wah!

In conclusion:
This is my favourite kind of space opera. I have loved all the books of the Hidden Empire, and I'm sorry this appears to be the final one. This was probably the less explosive and action packed of the five - more tension and intrigue - but nevertheless an entertaining and compulsive read. One for those who want SF with a different twist. It can be read as a stand-alone, but personally I think it's more enjoyable if you've read the rest of the series.

The Ships of Aleph by Jaine Fenn #spaceopera #scifi

Title: The Ships of Aleph
Author: Jaine Fenn
Genre: Scifi/space opera
Publisher: Tower of Chaos Press
Available: Amazon $1.99 (Kindle)  42 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Rater: Pippa




Blurb:
Lachin is a dreamer. He's just too curious for his own good. When he gets the chance to be part of an expedition which will allow him to escape the confines of his village, of course he takes it; he wants to see the world. But the world is not what he thought it was... 

The Ships of Aleph is a fantastical adventure set on a world like no other, which fits into Jaine Fenn's popular Hidden Empire universe.


What I liked:
I'm always eager for another Jaine Fenn story, so I picked this up as soon as it released. I love the depth and scope of her writing, how I'm immersed not just in another world but another culture. This had an almost daydream like quality, which reflected the central character's state of mind for much of the story perfectly. I'm also a fan of stories set at sea, and that have a fantasy setting. It's told in first person - not my favourite POV, but written well it works. In some respects it reminded me of a Sir Terry Pratchett story where the incompetent wizard Rincewind sails to the edge of the world. But what Lachin finds there is nothing he expected, and neither did I! This is a story that will make you think about what else might be out there. I should also mention that the main character is crippled, and uses his intelligence to compensate for his physical disability.


What I didn't like:
The story didn't feel complete to me, not just because of being part of set universe - as stated in the blurb, this is part of the Hidden Empire universe, most of which I've read so I know most of the surrounding story - but even then I felt the ending to be abrupt and that it left me hanging.


In conclusion:
This story reads like a fantasy at the beginning, switching to a very scifi feel toward the end, and the jump might jar with some readers (not me, because I was expecting and hoping for the scifi part, and having read Guardians of Paradise - which also has a similar fantasy opening leading to a science fiction ending). For those who like to question the meaning of existence, this might be a good book, but to most readers I would suggest reading the rest of Fenn's Hidden Empire books to really follow the latter part of the story. As a stand alone, it might leave some readers confused. I would recommend this to fans of Fenn who have, or plan to read, the Hidden Empire books, but perhaps not as a first taster of her work.

(You can read my reviews of the other Hidden Empire books at Fantasy Book Reviews HERE).