Back on topic - went through a cross-country move (Denver to Buffalo NY, so while not quite back where I lived when I joined the site in 2005 - NYC suburbs - is the closest since 2011), which was not fun, but went faster than expected (had to drive 1600 miles in 2 days rather than 3 etc) and in the meantime I finished a few sf novels which I will list with a few comments in order of interest for me:
The Melding Furnace (and associated novella Yodrill's razor) - book 10 and presumably next to last in Olan Thorensen Yosef Kolsko/Anyar series: moves the storyline along a few months preparing for the ultimate showdown in Landolin; of course that will happen if the two AI systems around (from the original movers of humanity there which are also offshoots of the Object from Harbinger versus the recent aliens who brought Yosef and co to Anyar) do not object...
A few surprises - most notably the Assessor corps and their discoveries - but mostly a let's follow the multiple cast of characters type of novel.
Very curious how the author plans to end the storyline (the hints are mixed) and definitely plan to listen to the audio release as that adds always a lot.
As a note, the Yodrill's Razor novella mentioned in the introduction is summarized here so while a decent read in itself, is not really needed.
Overall, a book cementing the series status as one of the best recent SF offerings with something for almost everyone
Keepers of the Flesh - book 2 in the Saints of the Void series by Glynn Stewart
An excellent reunion with Captain Webster and the crew of Santa Mica after their unexpected adventure at an extraterrestrial dig. Now the oldest company translight freighter, Santa Mica is destined for the scrap yard - while the crew are heroes and repairs are possible, they are not particularly economical for the Santiago Corporation - unless something can be done. And so it goes with another adventure (predictable after a while but still very entertaining)
The Chronicles of Tiris book 2 by V Mahanenko
Fast and fun space opera with two big adventures with some imperial academy staff in-between; a crazy ending that changes things in a major way, though I expect that Baron Kael Golden aka Xhorkh (in simulations he is unbeatable as a Xhorkhian commanding mind and sub mediocre as a human fleet commander) and his team will rise to the occasion even under the new circumstances and their new patrons
Heavy Water (Bomb light 2) by N Stephenson
Couldn't get into Polostan though I tried a few times, but this one - technically a sequel though it can easily be read independently - gripped me from the first page; a serious storyline but a whimsical tone and a bit of a picaresque novel with the fate of the world at stake. Unexpected fun considering that the first series volume hasn't worked out for me (at least yet).
The Interstellar Relic by Mark Alexander
A (fairly) near-future first contact/mystery/solar system exploration novel that uses a true historical mystery as a motif. Fast and entertaining, with pages turning by themselves.
