Rick Wilber

Although ostensibly a baseball book (which, to be honest. is why I purchased it), it is only tangentially about baseball. Instead, it is about dealing with aging parents, parents bot physically and mentally deteriorating and the struggles with becoming, for all intents and purposes, the parent of your parents- while dealing simultaneously with your own children, some of whom (may) have special needs of their own.
It is an honest and open appraisal of the many little defeats we in that show more position suffer while doing our best for people who may not always have done their best for us. It is also a lesson in responsibility, frustration and coming to terms with the reality of death, while dealing frankly with the guilt we feel about the resentments that, unwanted but inevitable, challenge and change the family dynamic across three generations, with most of the onus on the middle one.
I would recommend this book to anyone dealing with their parents end of life issues. show less

Ultimately just okay. This felt pretty cyberpunky to me. It was mostly about the tech that the hero was using to document the arrival of the aliens. The aliens were just kind of there. You felt no real threat from them even though some unrest happened. I never really warmed to the main character and ultimately nothing really happened . It all seemed rather on the surface. I think this might be the start of a trilogy.

My favorites were:

"The Ghosts of Mars" (novella) by Dominica Phetteplace. Colonists left Mars to get cancer treatments back on Earth, but teenage girl is left behind because her genetic mods make her impervious to cancer but unable to survive Earth's gravity.

"Neptune Acres" by Robert R. Chase. Human attempts to tame the ocean and build expensive property near (or in!) the waves are doomed, but that will never stop real-estate tycoons! Would you risk your life to save a dolphin? (I'd like to show more think I would but I haven't been tested.)

"The Death of the Hind" by Kevin J. Anderson and Rick Wilber. The title made me think of Hind Rajab :-( but that tragedy hadn't happened yet when this story was published. Rapidly failing generation ship with rogue AI finally reaches Goldilocks zone planet, but the planet seems very inhospitable. Boy with Down Syndrome torn between family members with opposing views.

"The Disgrace of the Commodore" by Marguerite Sheffer. Too peaceable to be command a sloop, the commodore who was struck off the navy list is in purgatory, in the hold of his own former ship.

"In the Days After" by Frank Ward.
50 years ago, a strange disaster stuck a few people at whatever age they were at the time. Shunned for being "immortal," a woman pays an official visit to a family with even more unusual circumstances.

"Blade and Bone" by Paul McAuley. Battles on Mars; ancient artifacts have a mind of their own. show less

My favorites:

Aurora by Michael Cassutt--Russian former director of scientific outpost now spends all her days drinking vodka until the new director needs her help to launch a secret weapon to change the course of a comet that is going to hit a spaceship returning home with important samples. Also all young people are "Networked" and can silently share messages and basically have the internet in their brains.

Do You Remember? by Steve Rasnic Tem. An elderly man has an AI projection (that can show more display memories also) of his late wife in the attic. He talks to her every day, but she also seems to be monitoring him for Alzheimer's. And what will the next generation do with her once he is gone as well?

Mender of Sparrows by Ray Nayler--AI, consciousness placed into new body, fixing injured birds with mechanical parts, Istanbul.

Maybe these were also my favorites?

Offloaders by Leah Cypress--WhatsApp freecycle group when people are uploading their consciousness and don't need stuff anymore.

Dollbot Cicily by Will McIntosh--Homeless woman whose body has been used as the model for a sexbot seeks the money she needs and revenge.

And the rest:

The Magpie Stacks Probabilities by Arie Coleman--An astronaut, her wife, and child are traumatized after the astronaut survived an accident thanks to some odds and ends in strange places.

Venus Exegesis by Christopher Mark Rose--venuscraft, AI, climate change, love, deception, murder, hard decisions.

Sailing to the Merinam by Marta Randall--AFAB child disguised as male on sailing ship where females are forbidden.

Quake by Peter Wood--moon pie, earthquakes, could there be time travel involved?

The God Signal by Jack McDevitt & Larry Wasserman--A scientist develops FTL technology, but does it even matter when there's so much satellite trash/space debris orbiting Earth?

Maryon's Gift by Paul McAuley--An alien tells a story of a livable planet that has never been colonized because it is valiantly protected from any visitors.

The Short Path to Light by William Ledbetter--Baby born in zero G, rogue lesbian nun, clever ship's AI.

Blimpies by Rick Wilber--Brother and sister separately imprisoned on alien planet. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I already had read some of his stories set in this S'hudon universe. show less