David Walton

David Walton is an award-winning science fiction author, a space industry engineer, and the father of seven children. He loves science fiction novels that ask big questions about life and the future of the human race, enabling us to see through new eyes and consider new perspectives. Many of his books deal with questions of identity, exploring the reality of free will, the continuity of the self, and the nature of human consciousness.

Mr. Walton's book, The Genius Plague (Pyr, 2017), considers how our choices are influenced by our biology when a fungal pandemic infects humans, raising their intelligence but also affecting their desires and goals. The Genius Plague won the 2018 John W. Campbell Award for best science fiction novel. 

His latest book, Three Laws Lethal (Pyr, 2019), takes on the future of the self-driving car industry, with its legal and social ramifications, while exploring the nature of consciousness and sapience through the evolution of artificial intelligence.

Book Reviews by David Walton

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“entertaining and fast-paced. . . . Readers who like plot-driven stories with heroic characters, dragons, and happy endings will find much to enjoy.”

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“an easy read that provokes laughter throughout, but surprises with its serious themes and meaningful contemplations of friendship, loyalty, and bravery.”

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The Fragile Threads of Power opens with a whirlwind of new character introductions, each chapter presenting a new setting and point of view, initially unrelated to the others.

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“Fans of Jim Butcher will love this fast-paced supernatural thriller, filled with just the right balance of horror and heart.”

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“Cronin . . . is a writer whose intimate characterization and effortless prose often transcend his subject matter.”

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“ . . . the world of cartographic research at the New York Public Library feels alive and real, and the magic of the book is unique and delightful . . .”

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The New One is an exquisitely crafted thriller, but also an intimate portrait of a family facing the impossible.”

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“The entire Scholomance series is a master work of storytelling, filled with memorable characters, an original world, complex personal politics, difficult choices with real consequences, an

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The theme of The Mountain in the Sea can be summarized in a quote from one of its characters, Dr.

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Blake Crouch books follow a formula, of sorts: A suburban man with a family is swept up into a technological crisis that puts him on the run, alone against desperate odds, trying to save the world

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Locklands completes another excellent trilogy from an author producing some of the most original and compelling fantasy in the genre.”

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Aurora provides a refreshing alternative to most apocalyptic tales but . . .”

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“Few books strike that balance so well, delivering laughter and smiles inside a story that feels like it matters. . . .

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The Discord of Gods is the explosive conclusion to Jenn Lyons’ five-book, million-word fantasy epic series A Chorus of Dragons that began in 2019 with The Ruin of Kings.

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“Ashton’s emphasis is clearly on the moral and philosophical implications of the Mickeys, however, not on first contact, cross-cultural relations, or the evils of colonialism.

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Absynthe is a solidly imagined period piece with a lot of surprises and a unique style.”

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“The plot barrels along at an intense pace, straight into . . . a shocking cliffhanger of an ending.

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Pounce is an orange-and-black-striped tiger robot, “designed, to put it bluntly, to be huggable.” He was sold to the Reinhart family as a nanny for their eight-year-old boy, Ezra.

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No one is innocent in the series A Chorus of Dragons. Even the protagonists in Jenn Lyons’ series have done terrible things in their pasts, killing, betraying, and abandoning others.

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Fugitive Telemetry is the sixth installment in the Murderbot Diaries series, and it’s one of the better ones.

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“Nobody writes optimistic science adventure as well as Andy Weir. Anyone who loved The Martian will adore Project Hail Mary.”

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Immunity Index takes place in a future that is uncannily similar to 2020. A pandemic spreads across the world, killing thousands and breeding political dissention.

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Evelyn Caldwell tells herself “I am not a monster,” but she may not believe it. Evelyn is a self-centered, work-obsessed woman who has devoted everything to her scientific career.

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“Walton has a knack for presenting unexpected and very human glimpses of both historical and fictional figures, and her delight with the city of Florence may inspire many to visit.”

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A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor delivers everything a sequel should: the same characters, emotion, and appeal as the original, but with enough novelty to extend the world of the story into

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to Susanna Collins's acclaimed Hunger Games trilogy, confirms Collins as a master of dystopian YA, able to spin engaging tales around deeply f

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This is the second book of the series that started with Foundryside, one of the best fantasies of 2018.

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“Like Semiosis, this novel is a rich and engaging exploration of different forms of intelligent life and how they might think and act.”

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The Warehouse reads as a treatise against the evils of big corporations and rampant capitalism.”

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Stealing Worlds is not so much a story as a manifesto for a new, technology-based economic system.

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“The core draw of the novel is the complicated love of two people through multiple possible lives and across the gulf of missing memories.”

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The entire plot of The Undefeated could be summarized as “Woman returns to her hometown and muses about her life.” Focusing on the plot, however, would do this subtle and mesmerizing novel

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“likely to garner major awards attention for its many-layered and nuanced characterization and themes.”

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“What makes this novel a delight is the very relatable tale of a father struggling to know and love his daughter, to protect her from harm while allowing her to make her own choices and ful

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“readers on both sides of the gun ownership issue will heed the warning that giving in to petty tribalism and fear of those who are different will ultimately lead not to safety, but to dest

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Most alternate histories reimagine big turning points or the momentous decisions of famous people.

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“miraculously, out these broken lives and troubled minds emerged the glory and beauty that is the science fiction genre.”

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Sancia Grado starts this book facedown in the mud, and things don’t get much better for her from there.

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“The Moons of Barsk accomplishes what science fiction does at its best.