I don’t read much science fiction, especially of the hard variety, but my uncle does. So check out his review of the recently released Influx.
Category: 4 Star
Product Review: Asus Transformer Pad TF701T
Product: Asus Transformer Pad TF701T
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchased: January 2014
Three weeks ago I finally decided upon an Android tablet to buy to replace the Nook Color that was stolen from me while touring Europe last May. I took my time selecting one that was reasonably priced and provided most of the features I wanted in a tablet. My highest priority was readability. As you probably already know, I read, a lot. In fact, I read almost any chance I get. News, magazines, blogs and ebooks. A larger screen means less scrolling for me and more time devoted to actual reading.
Once I decided upon the Asus Transformer Pad TF701T, I then went shopping. Continue reading “Product Review: Asus Transformer Pad TF701T”
Book Review: Frankenstein by Shelley (3.5 Stars)
Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Read in November 2008
I don’t know what I was expecting to find but it definitely was different than all my preconceptions. I had some trouble, at times, staying tuned into the story. Mary Shelley’s prose was first person, but often second or third hand (one person telling another person’s story who was then telling yet another story). At times, I had to stop and remember what “I” was actually telling the story at that particular time. Nevertheless, it did make for compelling reading at times.
Continue reading “Book Review: Frankenstein by Shelley (3.5 Stars)”
Book Review: The Andromeda Strain by Crichton (4 Stars)
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Read multiple times, but most recently in June 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this classic science fiction novel by Michael Crichton. And it was something I could knock out in a couple of hours, even with lots of scientific jargon to slog through. Stretching vocabulary is always a good thing!
I decided to re-read The Andromeda Strain because of the A&E mini-series aired a couple of weeks ago. I think the screenwriters did an excellent job of being faithful to the book but also updating the science and technology forty plus years. The elements of drama and crisis were maintained and made more believable; yet the human element of fear, mistakes and intuition were preserved.
Book Review: Warrior by Fallon (4 Stars)
Read in July 2008
Jennifer Fallon did not disappoint in this continuation of the Wolfblade saga. I probably should not have read it on the heels of Mistborn: The Final Empire as it is somewhat of a tragedy. I should probably find something less depressing to read next or I might become a footnote to my own life.
Note to my followers: I apologize for these ‘short’ reviews from the early days of when I first joined GoodReads. I’m still trying to transfer all my reviews from there to here, but I don’t have time to re-read these books to flesh out the reviews. I did very much enjoy Fallon’s entire Wolfblade series and highly recommend it to fans of fantastic fiction.
Book Review: Peacemaker by Stewart (4 Stars)
Read January 2014
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Caleb Marcus is a Peacemaker, a roving lawman tasked with maintaining the peace and bringing control to magic users on the frontier. A Peacemaker isn’t supposed to take a life—but sometimes, it’s kill or be killed…
After a war injury left him half-scoured of his power, Caleb and his jackalope familiar have been shipped out West, keeping them out of sight and out of the way of more useful agents. And while life in the wild isn’t exactly Caleb’s cup of tea, he can’t deny that being amongst folk who aren’t as powerful as he is, even in his poor shape, is a bit of a relief.
But Hope isn’t like the other small towns he’s visited. The children are being mysteriously robbed of their magical capabilities. There’s something strange and dark about the local land baron who runs the school. Cheyenne tribes are raiding the outlying homesteads with increasing frequency and strange earthquakes keep shaking the very ground Hope stands on.
Continue reading “Book Review: Peacemaker by Stewart (4 Stars)”
My Best Reads of 2013
Yesterday, on the last day of 2013, I posted my uncle’s best reads of last year. Today, on New Year’s Day 2014, I’m looking back at my reading for the past twelve months.
After Amazon acquired GoodReads in the Spring of 2013, I resolved to not rate or review books on that site going forward. I spent many hours relocating my existing reviews (and ratings) to this blog, where I can maintain my voice, my thoughts and my opinions as I see fit, without fear of censorship, tampering or deletions.
Book Review: Ysabel by Kay (3.5 Stars)
Read in Nov/Dec 2013
Synopsis (excerpts from author’s website Bright Weavings):
Provence, in the south of France, is a part of the world that has been—and continues to be—called a paradise. But one of the lessons that history teaches is that paradise is coveted and fought over. Successive waves of invaders have claimed—or tried to claim—those vineyards, rivers, olive groves, and hills.
In Guy Gavriel Kay’s novel, Ysabel, this duality—of exquisite beauty and violent history—is explored in a work that marks a departure from Kay’s historical fantasies set in various analogues of the past.
Book Review: Allegiant by Roth (4 Stars)
Read in December 2013
Synopsis:
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
My Thoughts:
Roth redeemed herself, at least in my mind, with Allegiant. While not perfect, I felt more at home with the direction the plot took than what happened in the middle weak-link book Insurgient (which I didn’t bother to review because it disappointed me so much). For my review of Divergent, follow this link.
Audiobook Review: Rendezvous with Rama by Clarke (4 Stars)
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke
Read by Peter Ganim
Original novel winner of the following awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1974), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1973), Locus Award for Best Novel (1974), British Science Fiction Association Award for Novel (1974), Jupiter Award for Best Novel (1974), Seiun Award for Best Foreign Novel (1980), John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1974)
Synopsis: At first, only a few things are known about the celestial object that astronomers dub Rama. It is huge, weighing more than ten trillion tons. And it is hurtling through the solar system at inconceivable speed. Then a space probe confirms the unthinkable: Rama is no natural object. It is, incredibly, an interstellar spacecraft. Space explorers and planet-bound scientists alike prepare for mankind’s first encounter with alien intelligence. It will kindle their wildest dreams…and fan their darkest fears. For no one knows who the Ramans are or why they have come. And now the moment of rendezvous awaits – just behind a Raman airlock door. Includes an exclusive introduction by Hugo Award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer
Continue reading “Audiobook Review: Rendezvous with Rama by Clarke (4 Stars)”