Regular Guy Book Reviews

Review: The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler

The Tusks of Extinction is a short novellette/novelito (smaller than a novella) where mammoths have been resurrected and are roaming the Russian plains. It’s surreal, clever, original, and shot through with Russian darkness and heaviness.

It’s so short that I can’t tell you much about the plot without giving it away, but we see this world through the eyes of poachers, a murdered elephant biologist and activist, and the mammoths themselves.

There’s some switching between events in the past and the future, without telling you what’s going on, so that takes a little while to comes to terms with.

Like some of the best science fiction short stories, this felt more like a thorough exploration of an idea rather than a big adventure quest. I like me my quests, but I also really enjoyed this story.

Recommendation: It has mammoths. Read it.

Dan

Share
Published by
Dan

Recent Posts

Review: <em>Zoey Is Too Drunk for This Dystopia</em> by Jason Pargin

Author Jason Pargin has made a career out of hilarious and fast-moving books with surprisingly…

11 months ago

The Best Silkpunk Books

There are a couple of science fiction books in this list, but right now, most…

1 year ago

Review: <em>Venomous Lumpsucker</em> by Ned Beauman

In the near-future world of Venomous Lumpsucker, everything has continued to get worse, to the…

1 year ago

The Best Dark Science Fiction Books

Calling a book "dark" can mean many things, and the books on this list mean…

1 year ago

The Best Science Fiction Books with Gas Giants

Gas giants are wonderfully weird, mysterious, and incredibly dangerous. It's surprising there aren't more gas…

1 year ago

Review: <em>Heaven’s River</em> by Dennis E. Taylor

Heaven’s River is the fourth book of the excellent Bobiverse series, and instead of cruising…

1 year ago