( R ) Books

The Sparrow

Mary Doria Russell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 459 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Immoral Aliens 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This was the WORST book I have ever read. The lone star that I gave this book goes to the author for her efforts in writing it.
I was encouraged to read this by all the amazing 5 star reviews and once I was done, I felt defiled.
I can appreciate good books, too....but this?? ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING.
Sex addicts might enjoy this read.

Editorial Review:

In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet which will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly organizes an eight-person scientific expedition of its own. What the Jesuits find is a world so beyond comprehension that it will lead them to question the meaning of being "human." When the lone survivor of the expedition, Emilio Sandoz, returns to Earth in 2059, he will try to explain what went wrong... Words like "provocative" and "compelling" will come to mind as you read this shocking novel about first contact with a race that creates music akin to both poetry and prayer.

Red Mars (Mars Trilogy)

Kim Stanley Robinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 362 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Red Mars opens with a tragic murder, an event that becomes the focal point for the surviving characters and the turning point in a long intrigue that pits idealistic Mars colonists against a desperately overpopulated Earth, radical political groups of all stripes against each other, and the interests of transnational corporations against the dreams of the pioneers.

This is a vast book: a chronicle of the exploration of Mars with some of the most engaging, vivid, and human characters in recent science fiction. Robinson fantasizes brilliantly about the science of terraforming a hostile world, analyzes the socio-economic forces that propel and attempt to control real interplanetary colonization, and imagines the diverse reactions that humanity would have to the dead, red planet.

Red Mars is so magnificent a story, you will want to move on to Blue Mars and Green Mars. But this first, most beautiful book is definitely the best of the three. Readers new to Robinson may want to follow up with some other books that take place in the colonized solar system of the future: either his earlier (less polished but more carefree) The Memory of Whiteness and Icehenge, or 1998's Antarctica. --L. Blunt Jackson

Luis Royo (Art of ) 2009 Calendar

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Editorial Review:

Luis Royo Wall Calendar: Fantasy airbrush artist Luis Royo goes into the depths of his imagination and creates eerie works of subversive beauty for this Heavy Metal calendar. 12 x 12 wall calendar

Green Mars (Mars Trilogy)

Kim Stanley Robinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 79 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Another classic 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I'm not sure I liked it quite as much as Red Mars, but it's still amazing. It's just a totally immersive, thought-provoking work of tremendous detail. It's definitely not escapist or super-being type of sf. I enjoy those two, but this isn't it. It's unsettling, brutal... it's a very 'hard sf' kind of book.

Allow me to address the complaints with this book:

1) Too long/boring: This is ridiculous. Every page contributes to the book. The pacing is rapid compared to what the characters experience. If you find yourself bored, or that it's going on too long, consider the characters. Perhaps Robinson wanted you to feel a little of their conflict. Personally, I was riveted, even at the parts with less action and more dialogue. See, I like books. I enjoy reading. 600 pages weren't a chore, they were a treat. I think people making this complaint would be better served reading novelizations of Star Wars or other action-packed space opera tripe. This one is for serious readers. Don't order espresso if what you really wanted was weak tea.

2) Political propoganda: This one actually cracks me up. See, whatever your political viewpoint, there are characters in the book who would sympathize with you. Unfortunately for our more myopic critics here, that means there will also be characters who disagree with you. They disagree with each other, too. See, it's like real life, with many different people and viewpoints. If you want your literature scubbed clean and sanitized of characters who might not vote the way you do, you are a sad, sad person and I feel sorry for you. The fact is, the characters in this book are trying to come up with a new way for human economics, politics, and even social structures to function. Because, like it or not, humans have not yet found a perfect method. Even capitalism has serious flaws, though I, personally, would tend toward it as a general rule. That's just me though. Are some of their ideas socialist? Yup. ARe some capitalist? You bet. Are ANY of their ideas original in the history of human administration? I didn't think so, but that's one of the themes throughout this whole series: can humans do anything original, or are they doomed to repeat themselves in perpetuity? And yes, a theme can be a question, the best ones are. It's not a love letter to either Adam Smith OR Karl Marx. It's just exploring the grey areas with some very well-developed characters and well-researcged fiction.

The only legitimate complaint I can think of is the prose, which, like Red Mars, was a bit stiff. A lot of sf writers appear to be scientists or researchers first, poets second. Fans of the genre don't expect Faulknerian prose (though Delany and some others are fine). The plot, characterization, themes, subtext, even the much-beleaguered pacing are masterful. not to mention the unbelievable research. I read a lot of sf, so the less-than-poetic prose didn't hinder my enjoyment.

To summarize, this book is for serious readers of sf, not Saturday Matinee junkies. It is also not for myopic goose-steppers of any ideology.

Editorial Review:

Kim Stanley Robinson has earned a reputation as the master of Mars fiction, writing books that are scientific, sociological and, best yet, fantastic. Green Mars continues the story of humans settling the planet in a process called "terraforming." In Red Mars, the initial work in the trilogy, the first 100 scientists chosen to explore the planet disintegrated in disagreement--in part because of pressures from forces on Earth. Some of the scientists formed a loose network underground. Green Mars, which won the 1994 Hugo Award, follows the development of the underground and the problems endemic to forming a new society.

Blue Mars (Mars Trilogy)

Kim Stanley Robinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 110 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A satisfying conclusion 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

First, the faults: As other reviewers note, this book needed a better editor. As with the first two books of the series, there are commas in sentences that they don't belong in, and this can get frustrating. There are also some sections in which Robinson goes into vast detail about a specific technology that after 2 books and hundreds of pages into the 3rd - just kill the pacing. After so long a time, being so deep into a story, the characters and plot need to be focused on more than the scientific breakthroughs. Also, as others have noted, Robinson starts to really push our suspension of disbelief: the colonization of other planets and asteroids kind of pushes it.

On to the good stuff: Robinson really knows his stuff, and part of the appeal of this series is how very dense it is, packed with the kind of details that make you believe in the world you're reading about. From science to politics to philosophy to human interactions, the world(s) Robinson creates really feel fully developed.

The best part of this book, for me, is when the story's focus shifts to its final act. Instead of asking, "what would the science, culture, and politics of a colonized mars be like?", the story asks: "What happens when you've lived for 230 years?" The troubles of the first hundred, now considered "superelderly," is described in a fascinating way.

Some reviewers feel the plot-line of Hiroko is dropped. Actually, this is a great part of Blue Mars, because it's not about Hiroko, but the perception of Hiroko. The question for the reader is not, "Is she alive or not?" The question is, "Why do some think she's alive and some not? What are their reasons? What does the 'myth' of Hiroko mean to them?"

Not every loose end is tied up (after all, in life, this can never happen), yet the overall story is brought to a satisfying conclusion. The Mars Trilogy is the tale of the First Hundred, ultimately, and we get a very good picture of what becomes of them.

After almost 2000 pages, I found following their journeys was a very, very worthwhile experience, and I recommend it with no reservations.

Editorial Review:

The red planet is red no longer, as Mars has become a perfectly inhabitable world. But while Mars flourishes, Earth is  threatened by overpopulation and ecological disaster. Soon people look to Mars as a refuge, initiating a possible interplanetary conflict, as well as political strife between the Reds, who wish to preserve the planet in its desert state, and the Green "terraformers".  The ultimate fate of Earth, as well as the possibility of new explorations into the solar system, stand in the balance.

Children of God (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Mary Doria Russell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 96 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The abridged audio version of Mary Doria Russell's sequel to The Sparrow is read by actor Stephen Lang, of Last Exit to Brooklyn fame, whose deep, dramatic voice perfectly suits this tale full of loss and redemption, despair, and hope. Children of God continues the story of Father Emilio Sandoz, the Jesuit priest whose faith was brutally tested when he was maimed and raped, and witnessed the deaths of his friends on the faraway planet of Rakhat. Sandoz has begun the long, slow work of healing body and soul, finding some measure of happiness in his new life. He finds himself an unwilling member of a second mission to Rakhat, where survivor Sophia Mendez struggles to live in a world torn by genocidal strife between the Runa and Jana'ata. Children of God is a respectable sequel to a brilliant first novel, one that brings back and further develops beloved characters, and adds depth to an already thoroughly realized world. Lang perfectly captures each character, using flawless accents and a broad range of emotion to bring a new immediacy to the story. (Running time: five hours, four cassettes) --Therese Littleton

The Years of Rice and Salt

Kim Stanley Robinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 147 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson delivers a thoughtful and powerful examination of cultures and the people who shape them. How might human history be different if 14th-century Europe was utterly wiped out by plague, and Islamic and Buddhist societies emerged as the world's dominant religious and political forces? The Years of Rice and Salt considers this question through the stories of individuals who experience and influence various crucial periods in the seven centuries that follow. The credible alternate history that Robinson constructs becomes the framework for a tapestry of ideas about philosophy, science, theology, and politics.

At the heart of the story are fundamental questions: what is the purpose of life and death? Are we eternal? Do our choices matter? The particular achievement of this book is that it weaves these threads into a story that is both intellectually and emotionally engaging. This is a highly recommended, challenging, and ambitious work. --Roz Genessee

X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, Book 2

Fabian Nicieza, John Francis Moore, Scott Lobdell, Jeph Loeb, Larry Hama, Chris Bachalo, Warren Ellis, Tony Daniel, Salvador Larroca, Steve Epting, Terry Dodson, Roger Cruz, Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert, Mark Buckingham, Ken Lashley, Renato Arlem, Ian Churchill, Val Semeiks, Tom Lyle

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This should have been the first volume. Brilliant! 4 out of 5 stars.
29 of 29 people found this review helpful.

First a plea to any new readers who might have been hoodwinked into purchasing the first volume of the AOA-Epic: PLEASE forget that cruel marketing trick and give this one a shot, this is the true (beginning of the) Age of Apocalypse, the crown jewel of the 1990s X-Men run that was so astounding that it took nearly a decade before another worth-while X-Men story would be written again.
In the Early '90s the X-Men reached their zenith of popularity, and although there were certainly low points in the early '90s run of the X-Universe (followed by an abysmally unreadable period of just under 10 years) it is unquestionably one of the time periods that justified the X-Men's place as the consistent top-seller, then and now. The Age of Apocalypse was the culmination, and the bristling climax, of one of the greatest eras in the X-Men's existence.

Synopsis: Forget volume one, everyone else but the marketing flunkies at Marvel did (or the poor saps who paid money for a collection of B-level story lines that leeched off of the glory of a truly well done comic book masterpiece). Here we are taken into a world that throws the importance of Xavier's dream right into our faces, a world where that dream was aborted and replaced with a blood-drenched nightmare. The Dark Lord Apocalypse threatens the globe, from his base from what was once America, with the aid of his Four Horsemen (Sinister, Holocaust, Abyss, and Mikhail Rasputin) and his mutant elite (including Cyclops, Havoc, and Beast). In Europe, humanity is meekly defended by a Human High Council (Brian Braddock, Emma Frost, Moria MacTaggart and Trask) that ratters a saber in the form of an army of Sentinels and nuclear missiles. The only true source of salvation lies with Magneto and the meager yet potent network of mutant resistance that he has thrown up against the genetic supremacist régime of Apocalypse that makes mass genocide and blasphemous dark science everyday occurrences. Despite their best efforts, Magneto, the X-Men and other heroes of this Dark Age are fighting a losing battle, and the hordes of the Dark Lord begin to crush even the most stalwart of spirits; and then one man, Bishop, delivers them the glimmer of hope needed to march on in their defiance of seemingly omnipotent armies of evil. In another world Xavier's dream was made real, and Apocalypse never rose to power.

This dark incarnation of the X-Men's' world is thoroughly explored in-depth, and the characterization is so well done that it even gives invaluable insight to the characters as they appear in the main-stream world of the X-Men. Some who were heroes break under the evil that has infected their world while others turn from their own paths of darkness when shown the extreme consequence of blind self-serving ambition. As death and horror flow in Apocalypse's wake and the leaders of humanity grow intent on mimicking his evil to feed their own thirst for revenge, Magneto and the X-Men will fight to the bitter end to save their world from this ultimate evil.

Yet if the gripping story is not enough to sell you, the art work is mouthwatering at best and breathtaking at worst.

Enjoy!

Editorial Review:

See your favorite through a dark glass as the epic that literally rebuilt the X-Men in eight miniseries and more continues! Apocalypse has conquered half of humankind and is ready to destroy them all! Magneto and his Amazing X-Men fight to protect humans and mutants alike, only to learn from Bishop that his world might need to be unmade! Plus: excerpts from Apocalypse's own files on the alternate-universe X-Men, and their friends and foes... but which is which? Featuring Blink and Sabretooth of the Exiles! Collects X-Men: Alpha, Age of Apocalypse: The Chosen, Generation Next #1, Astonishing X-Men Volume 1 #1, X-Calibre #1, Gambit and the X-Ternals #1-2, Weapon X Volume 1 #1-2, Amazing X-Men #1-2, Factor X #1-2, and X-Man #1.

Murder in LaMut (Legends of the Riftwar, Book 2)

Raymond E. Feist, Joel Rosenberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Really Poor Book! 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have been re-reading some of the older Feist books in my library and decided to add the rest of his books. I have been reading them in series order according to the recommendation of Feist's site www.crydee.com

All I can say is that you will not miss anything by NOT reading this book.

All I can figure is that Feist decided to get a piece of the action off what this guy Rosenberg wrote by adding his name since it takes places in Midkemia that he created. It was slow to the point of dragging so bad that I fell asleep! I had the murderer picked out chapters before the murder was commmitted. There was so much analyzing of what characters were thinking that you could skip ahead and not miss a beat. Of all the Feist books the only other ones that have given me so much plot struggle were the machinations of the Great Game on Kelewan, but at least in that series there were great plot twists and story lines to help hook you back in to the story.

Editorial Review:

It should have been so simple . . .

Durine, Kethol, and Pirojil are three mercenaries who have spent twenty years fighting other people's battles, defeating the Tsurani and the Bugs and the goblins. Yet now it seems there are no more enemies to vanquish, leaving them with a few months of welcomed garrison duty as the Riftwar rages on in the west.

When the trio is ordered to accompany a lady and her husband safely to the city of LaMut, it looks like an easy—even cushy—assignment. But in Midkemia, nothing is that straightforward, and the men find themselves trapped by a vicious winter storm in a castle with scheming lords and ladies, an unsolved murder, and nothing less than the political future of Midkemia at stake. . . .

Doctor Who: I Am A Dalek (Doctor Who (BBC Paperback))

Gareth Roberts

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Roman Daleks? 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful.

The Tenth Doctor and Rose plan to play some golf on the Moon but end up on the south coast of England in a bland, boring town which has nothing going on. Or so they thought.
It seems arhaeologists have found a Roman mosaic from 70 AD. It shows scenes from ancient England, people, grapes and, yes, a Dalek. Then a dead girl comes back to life. Then the archaeologists find a...well, that would be telling.
The story is short, swift and, because it has Daleks in the plot, delightful. The book shows that Gareth Roberts knows general Dr. WHO? history (with the use of a Time Ring) and Dalek history (as he uses the idea of the Dalek Factor at one point).
Too bad it took so long to get to me - I ordered it in April! While having 104 pages it took me less than an hour to read. Frankly, I would have liked a little more story for my money.

Editorial Review:

Equipped with space suits, golf clubs and a flag, the Doctor and Rose are planning to live it up, Apollo mission-style, on the Moon. But the TARDIS has other plans, landing them instead in a village on the south coast of England; a picture-postcard sort of place where nothing much happens. Until now... An archaeological dig has turned up a Roman mosaic, circa 70 A.D., depicting mythical scenes, grapes - and a Dalek. A few days later a young woman, rushing for work, is knocked over and killed by a bus, then comes back to life. It's not long before all hell breaks loose, and the Doctor and Rose must use all their courage and cunning against an alien enemy - and a not-quite-alien accomplice - who are intent on destroying humanity.