by Ness Brown
An interesting premise for a novella, undermined by the author's self-admitted rush job, overloaded with adverbs, tired horror tropes, and a main character who’s utterly terrible at waiting for an answer after asking questions.
by John Scalzi
I was immediately drawn in by the premise of this book, and while the world-building felt a bit lackluster — especially in the first two-thirds — the deliciously satisfying resolution of the murder mystery made it easy to overlook the occasional two-dimensional character.
with Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johannson
Director Spike Jonze paints a visually stunning future (hauntingly empty outside of the protagonist's social sphere and depressingly plausible) and uses it to tell a captivating and thought-provoking story with a poignant and refreshing ending.
with Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Sakura Andô
Besides an amazing portrayal of the Big Boy himself, Minus One also weaves a story about national trauma, personal loss, cowardice, and bravery — while suffering from a couple (minor) bad plot twists aimed at ensuring a happy ending.
with Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Arrival presents one of the most expertly crafted science-fiction movies I've ever seen, using outstanding cinematography, a flawless score, and breathtaking creature design to tell a story about humanity that unexpectedly brought me to tears at the end.
by Andy Weir
Project Hail Mary is a brilliantly crafted sci-fi novel that blends science, suspense, and heart so well that I forgive the author for using an amnesia subplot.
by Cixin Liu
The sheer inventiveness the author displays, combined with the satisfying ending to the trilogy, makes me even forgive him for putting a three-chapter-long fairy-tale in the middle of it.
by Andy Weir
Weir flexes his world-building muscles with this book, and although the dialogue between characters can be hard to believe at times, I still thoroughly enjoyed daydreaming about living in Artemis.