Book Review

The Riddled Post (Star Trek: S.C.E. #9)

Casey

Star Trek: S.C.E. #9: The Riddled Post by Aaron Rosenberg had a solid premise — a mysterious space station, a problem in need of solving — but the execution fell a bit flat for me. The story unfolds in a very straightforward, almost clinical fashion, lacking the tension or stakes that have helped elevate previous entries in the series. While there’s a mystery at the heart of the plot, it’s solved rather quickly, and what follows feels more like a checklist of tasks than a compelling narrative arc.

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Book Review

Invincible, Part Two (Star Trek: S.C.E. #8)

Casey

Star Trek: S.C.E. #7-8: Invincible by David Mack and Keith R.A. DeCandido is an ambitious two-parter that stands out thanks to its unique storytelling format. Told largely through a series of log entries, personal reflections, and internal communications from Lieutenant Commander Sonia Gomez, the story offers a real-time, first-person immediacy that’s rare in Trek fiction. It’s a refreshing shift in perspective that deepens Gomez’s character and gives the narrative a strong sense of urgency.

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Book Review

Invincible, Part One (Star Trek: S.C.E. #7)

Casey

Star Trek: S.C.E. #7-8: Invincible by David Mack and Keith R.A. DeCandido is an ambitious two-parter that stands out thanks to its unique storytelling format. Told largely through a series of log entries, personal reflections, and internal communications from Lieutenant Commander Sonia Gomez, the story offers a real-time, first-person immediacy that’s rare in Trek fiction. It’s a refreshing shift in perspective that deepens Gomez’s character and gives the narrative a strong sense of urgency.

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Book Review

Carrie

Casey

With a few Stephen King novels under my belt, I wanted to go back to where it all began (Carrie being King’s first published novel under his own name). I’ve never seen the movie adaptations — though I new the general premise going in: Carrie is a teenage girl with telekinetic abilities and a prom scene that involves blood and revenge.

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Book Review

The Passengers

Casey

After reading The One, I knew I had to dive deeper into John Marr’s dark future — and The Passengers absolutely delivered. Set in the same unsettlingly plausible world as The One, this novel explores the dangers of blind trust in technology, especially as AI and self-driving cars inch closer to everyday reality. The connections between the two books aren’t subtle, but they’re perfectly placed for fans eager to spot them.

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Book Review

Cold Fusion (Star Trek: S.C.E. #6)

Casey

Star Trek: S.C.E. #6: Cold Fusion by Keith R.A. DeCandido ties nicely into the post-Deep Space Nine continuity, serving as a fun “side quest” of sorts for Nog as he seeks help from the da Vinci crew to repair DS9. That broader connection is one of the novella’s strengths. Unfortunately, the danger never quite lands — the outcome feels predetermined, and the stakes never seem high enough to create real tension.

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Book Review

The Maidens

Casey

After reading The Silent Patient, I was eager to see what else Alex Michaelides had in store. The Maidens offers a good, strong female lead and, true to form, plenty of Greek mythology. In fact, I think this is where it surpasses The Silent Patient: the mythology ties more closely into the story and feels purposeful rather than ornamental.

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Book Review

The Divine Comedy

Casey

Dante Alighieri, or Dante to his friends, is probably best known for The Divine Comedy, an epic poem touring Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. I feel like everyone has read Inferno, although I never had until now. But I never hear of anyone reading the other two. Whether it’s the epic-ness of it or the translation, I suggest pressing on. Robin Kirkpatrick’s translation is readable and mostly understandable, while maintaining the lyricality of Dante’s original poem.

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Book Review

Interphase, Part 2 (Star Trek: S.C.E. #5)

Casey

Star Trek: S.C.E. #5: Interphase, Part Two by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore delivers a strong, action-packed conclusion to the series’ first two-parter. The pacing ramps up nicely, balancing high-stakes sci-fi tension with some great nostalgic callbacks. It’s a satisfying payoff to the setup in Part One, and it solidifies the creative team’s skill at juggling character and spectacle.

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Book Review

Verity

Casey

Verity is one of those books that grabs you immediately and doesn’t let go. I came into it expecting a psychological thriller — and that’s definitely what I got. What I didn’t expect was the heavy romance element, but that ended up playing a much bigger role than I anticipated. In fact, it might have been a good thing I didn’t know Colleen Hoover was primarily a romance author before diving in.

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