This book continues to develop the da Vinci crew as the series finds its footing. Like a traditional Trek episode, we start to see certain characters steep into the spotlight, though at times it feels like too many are vying for attention. The story is classic Star Trek, full of problem-solving and moral dilemmas, but I found myself not especially invested in the planet’s inhabitants.
I went into this book expecting a fun whodunit with some fourth-wall breaking gimmicks. What I got was so much more clever, layered, and downright delightful than I anticipated. Benjamin Stevenson has crafted a mystery that’s both hilariously self-aware and masterfully plotted.
This book is a fantastic kickoff to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers series. I loved how it introduced the da Vinci crew while weaving in familiar faces like Geordi La Forge and Scotty to anchor the story in the broader Trek universe. The balance between new and established characters felt seamless, making me care about the da Vinci crew right from the start.
As the fifth installment in the Gateways series, you would expect the Gateways to play a bigger part of the story. While they are present, they really serve as the MacGuffin to a classic Voyager tale.
This is the third work I’ve read as I make my way through the works of William Shakespeare in [somewhat] chronological order of writing/publication. For this project, I’ve chosen The Arden Shakespeare, Third Series, as my [quite scholarly] guide. On this read-through, I’m not assigning star-ratings – I have little on which to compare these works at this point. I may revisit them later to add ratings once I’ve read more of the canon.
I’d heard a lot about this book before picking it up. It’s often billed as horror, and with that cover art and creepy house vibes, I expected to be spooked. But for me, this read far more like a mystery – dark, unsettling, and full of psychological suspense, yes – but not horror. That said, what it is turned out to be far more compelling.
A Christmas Carol has long been my all-time favorite book, but with Great Expectations, I finally and properly met Charles Dickens. And what an introduction it was.
Let me start by saying: if you’re torn between reading and listening to this one, go with the audiobook. I did both, and I’m so glad I did — January LaVoy and Will Damron are fantastic, especially in the podcast segments, which feel like a true-crime show come to life.
This book broke my heart — and not in a sweet, wistful way. This is a gut-punch of a novel that takes on Victorian morality, gender roles, and the unforgiving weight of societal judgment. While the story takes place in rural 19th-century England, its themes still echo uncomfortably in the present day. Hardy doesn’t hold back in showing how the world punishes women for the sins of men and the hypocrisies of a supposedly moral society.
This book does a great job taking a lot of information we know about life and considering where we might be able to find it – not only within our solar system, but in the cosmos. Not only that, the author thinks about both life as we know it and life as we don’t know it.
