Why am I passionate about this?

I’m fascinated by both evolution and sentience. The debates ranging about them, endless research, personal suppositions, all of it. I view Sci-Fi written in the same vein as the works below as a means for scientists/writers to draft their own thoughts about evolution and sentience, almost philosophically and not wholly restrained by pieces of information (just or far) beyond our grasp. My own writing often focuses on both topics too, especially the standalone Siouca Remembers – in which two species, one just having evolved to sentience, intermingle for the first time. Amongst many other books, Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, is a wonderful non-fiction complement to this.


I wrote

Siouca Remembers

By James Murdo,

Book cover of Siouca Remembers

What is my book about?

“The quest to unlock the secrets of interstellar travel leads a Roranian crew on an epic journey across space. Saved…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Children of Time

James Murdo Why did I love this book?

This book made me question my own arachnophobia, and that’s saying something. Sentient spiders evolving physiologically and socially both terrified and reassured me. This is a case of anthropomorphisation (did I spell that right?) done bang on. Tchaikovsky takes us on a Sapiens-esque journey of evolution for a species that we all know, albeit with a foreign intellect, and makes us actually root for them…spiders! 

By Adrian Tchaikovsky,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked Children of Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the 30th anniversary Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel

Adrian Tchaikovksy's critically acclaimed, stand-alone novel Children of Time, is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet.

Who will inherit this new Earth?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the…


Book cover of Sundiver

James Murdo Why did I love this book?

(Admittedly a series, not one book.) These represented a memorable introduction for me to the notion of patron species “uplifting” (genetically engineering) client species to improved sentience. A key example is the uplifting of dolphins by humans. We are introduced to many variants of dolphin evolutionary efforts, and the struggles involved in uplifting. There are also many examples of aliens uplifting other aliens, so you won’t be disappointed by the variety offered by David Brin. Added to that, I contacted him after publishing my first book, and he was gracious and encouraging in his reply, so I’m biased.

By David Brin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sundiver as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In all the universe, no species reached for the stars without “uplift” guidance, except possibly humankind. Did some cryptic patron race begin the job long ago, then abandon us? Or did we leap all by ourselves? That question burns, yet a greater mystery looms ahead, in the furnace of a star. Under the caverns of Mercury, Expedition Sundiver prepares for the most momentous voyage in our history – into the boiling inferno of the sun, seeking our destiny in the cosmic order of life.
David Brin’s Uplift novels are among the most thrilling and extraordinary science fiction ever written, comprising…


Book cover of Seveneves

James Murdo Why did I love this book?

This is an intriguing foray into the potential evolution of our own species into many sub-species. We are taken on a journey of evolutionary discovery. I was absorbed in understanding the characteristics of the sub-species Neal Stephenson wove into the story. Whilst very different, in terms of exploring evolutionary offshoots of our own species, Seveneves reminded me of HG Wells’ The Time Machine.

By Neal Stephenson,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Seveneves as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The astounding new novel from the master of science fiction.
President Barack Obama's summer reading choice and recently optioned by Ron Howard and IMAGINE to be made into a major motion picture.

What would happen if the world were ending?

When a catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb, it triggers a feverish race against the inevitable. An ambitious plan is devised to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere. But unforeseen dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain...

Five thousand years later, their progeny - seven distinct races now three…


Book cover of Oceanworlds

James Murdo Why did I love this book?

This is a harder-SF book that deals with the near-term search for life in our solar system. What I found great about Landau’s writing is that everything seems incredibly realistic, well thought out, and researched. The life that is found is not a carbon copy of our own (hint, hint), and has come through an altogether different evolutionary pathway. This book made me want to go back to university and study anything that would get me into space.

By J.P. Landau,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Oceanworlds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If you were in awe of books like The Martian and 2001: A Space Odyssey or movies like Interstellar and Apollo 13, get ready for a story with the potential to leap from fiction into reality and become the greatest adventure on which humankind has ever embarked.


September 7 2030. Mission Day 1179. Late at night inside the two-person Dragon spacecraft resting on the frozen surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, Derya Terzi put on headphones and became the first Earthling to hear the sloshing of the enormous subsurface ocean beneath his feet. Intoxicated with the promise of discovery, he could…


Book cover of Project Hail Mary

James Murdo Why did I love this book?

Project Hail Mary packs a great deal of scientific detail. However, that’s a good thing, since we learn a lot about Andy Weir’s thoughts (via this story) on “what could semi-realistically be out there.” We deal with the quest to understand life outside our solar system, and are introduced to the very interesting biology of the lifeform “Rocky,” as well as other more cellular alien life. I was left wanting to know more about Rocky and his Eridian civilization. 

By Andy Weir,

Why should I read it?

43 authors picked Project Hail Mary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through…


Explore my book 😀

Siouca Remembers

By James Murdo,

Book cover of Siouca Remembers

What is my book about?

“The quest to unlock the secrets of interstellar travel leads a Roranian crew on an epic journey across space. Saved by a dying machine-lect, stranded in a failing ship, faced with an ultimate choice. Were they too eager in their attempts to reach the stars?” If you enjoy Space Opera, and authors such as Iain M. Banks, Alastair Reynolds and Dan Simmons, then Siouca Remembers is for you.

"An epic sci-fi fantasy!… intricate tales begin to mesh to create a final outcome that is fantastic and startling! Very well written!" – Bookbub reviewer

Book cover of Children of Time
Book cover of Sundiver
Book cover of Seveneves

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Book cover of A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Reader Editor Francophile Minnesotan Once and forever Brooklynite

Janet's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

This memoir chronicles the lives of three generations of women with a passion for reading, writing, and travel. The story begins in 1992 in an unfinished attic in Brooklyn as the author reads a notebook written by her grandmother nearly 100 years earlier. This sets her on a 30-year search to find her grandmother’s journals and uncover the hidden interior lives of her mother and grandmother.

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A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France

By Janet Hulstrand,

What is this book about?

This story, about three generations of women with a passion for reading, writing, and travel, begins in 1992, in an unfinished attic in Brooklyn, as a young writer reads journals written by her grandmother as a schoolgirl nearly 100 years earlier. This sets her on a 30-year quest to uncover the hidden lives and unfulfilled dreams of her mother and grandmother. In this coming-of-middle-age memoir, the author comes to realize that the passion for travel and for literature that has fueled her life's journey is a gift that was passed down to her by the very role models she was…


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