High Tech Books - Page 12

One Second After

William R. Forstchen

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Editorial Review:

New York Times best selling author William R. Forstchen now brings us a story which can be all too terrifyingly real...a story in which one man struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war, in one second, a war that will send America back to the Dark Ages...A war based upon a weapon, an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP).  A weapon that may already be in the hands of our enemies. Months before publication, One Second After has already been cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read, a book already being discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a truly realistic look at a weapon and its awesome power to destroy the entire United States, literally within one second. It is a weapon that the Wall Street Journal warns could shatter America. In the tradition of On the Beach, Fail Safe and Testament, this book, set in a typical American town, is a dire warning of what might be our future...and our end.

Full Metal Panic! (novel) Volume 2: One Night Stand (Full Metal Panic)

Gatou Shouji

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Plot Thickens 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Once again ADV brings to the reader a well-mixed blend of action, comedy, and romance. FMP book 2 has it all. Unlike the first book, instead of introducing the reader to the characters, it starts to focus the reader onto the plot of the story. Action starts to happen and the ministories that we saw in book 1 are gone. Now it's all-out war, the plot has thickened.

Sagara Souseke is on a field trip when he and his classmates are suddenly attacked by an enemy of his past, who looks to kidnap none other than Kaname Chidori. Will Sagara be able to save Kaname before they utilize her for their demonic purposes? And what is so special about her anyways?

In addition to an action development Love Hina fans will be happy to know that we see a romance one as well. Again Gatou is able to dazzle the reader with such a special love relationship that even those with the strongest of hearts will falter.

The plot? Awesome. The translation? Spectacular. The drawing? Impeccable. May the stars shine in the sky.

Editorial Review:

When Kalinin and Tessa investigate the capture of a suspected terrorist by the Japanese government, they expect the procedure to be routine--but find it's anything but! Then, when Tessa turns to Sousuke for help, a seemingly jilted Kaname only increases the drama quotient. And the threesome's problems grow exponentially when they learn about the existence of a mammoth AS known as Behemoth--with which the terrorists plan on destroying the city... Will it be "sayonara Tokyo"?

A State of Disobedience

Tom Kratman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 53 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

hysterical 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

My, my, my but we have a bunch of self righteous, judgmental "critics" here.

I don't know if Kratman intended to create a camp classic, but IMO he managed just that. I LOVE the book precisely because it IS so bad. That Hillary would be a power happy Lesbian is so predictable I can't imagine anyone not foreseeing it. The stereotypes are set in stone, the the dialogs are horrid (and, as always) predictable, etc, etc, etc. And, of course, in the end "justice" is served.

BUT, the book, like the 1950's Sc Fi classic movies is so bad it's wonderful. I've purchased and given away at least five copies to those who I knew would "understand."

The lesson, I suppose, is that individuals have very different perceptions. Some are more willing to be contemptuous and judgmental that others.

Personally, I find it rather incredible that someone would revile Kratman, then recommend John Ringo with his trashy his pseudo intellectual pornography.

Editorial Review:

In the long war against terrorism, the US Government had taken on extraordinary powers. And now that the war was won, powerful forces in the government had no intention of relinquishing those powers. As in 1860, the country was on the verge of civil war. And as in 1860, a leader arose to save the country-but it was not the President this time. Instead, the Governor of Texas was the woman of destiny. . . .

The Naked God (The Night's Dawn)

Peter F. Hamilton

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Not yet published By: Orbit

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Editorial Review:

The Confederation is starting to collapse politically and economically, allowing the `possessed' to infiltrate more worlds.


Quinn Dexter is loose on Earth, destroying the giant arcologies one at a time. As Louise Kavanagh tries to track him down, she manages to acquire some strange and powerful allies whose goal doesn't quite match her own. The campaign to liberate Mortonridge from the possessed degenerates into a horrendous land battle, the kind which hasn't been seen by humankind for six hundred years; then some of the protagonists escape in a very unexpected direction. Joshua Calvert and Syrinx fly their starships on a mission to find the Sleeping God -- which an alien race believes holds the key to overthrowing the possessed.


THE NAKED GOD is the brilliant climax to Peter F. Hamilton's awe-inspiring Night's Dawn Trilogy.

In the Ocean of Night (Galactic Center, Volume 1)

Gregory Benford

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Wow how thing's (scifi) have changed... 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

After you've read enough scifi you can start to get a feel for how novels are influenced by the era in which they're written. This novel reads like a cultural excursion back to the flower power era. Benford attempts to extrapolate the cultural aspects of the time (novel relationship triples, effects of pollution on health, resource depletion of the Earth, casual use of mind altering substances, etc...) into the future but completely fails to visualize any advances in technology (computers and the internet). The book is a not enjoyable to read, there's too much juvenile bravado and characters that serve only to echo the writers ego. Benford becomes quiet full of himself in the Epilogue.

One good thing: I have always been haunted by an episode of the Six Million Dollar Man (yes, Lee Majors) that involved a moon base and BigFoot. I vaguely remember this show as I was very young when it was aired. But after reading this novel, I have an idea of where the plot came from.

Editorial Review:

2019: NASA astronaut Nigel Walmsley is sent on a mission to intercept a rogue asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Ordered to destroy the comet, he discovers that it is actually the shell of a derelict space probe - a wreck with just enough power to emit a single electronic signal...2034: A reply is heard. Searching for the source of this signal that comes from outside the solar system, Nigel discovers the existence of a sentient ship. When the new vessel begins to communicate directly with him, the astronaut learns of the horrors that await humanity. The ship was created by an alien race that has spent billions and billions of years searching for intelligent life... to annihilate it.

Wet Work (The 4400)

Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

1992: For nearly a decade, the international assassin known only as "the Wraith" has eluded authorities. Political leaders, powerful heads ofbusiness, terrorists known and suspected have numbered among the many victims until -- without explanation -- the Wraith disappears....

2005: Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris are investigating Jordan Collier's murder, but they're pulled off the case. Washington believes the Wraith -- a onetime freelance agent for the U.S. government -- is active again. A high-ranking CIA officer, who oversaw the rogue operator's activities, is killed. Evidence at the scene points to the Wraith and that this highly efficient killer is now a 4400. The NTAC agents only have thirteen-year-old leads to follow an assassin who was never caught. Suddenly, the Wraith kills another returnee. Why? What does this mean? Can the mounting fears of the 4400 be right? Or is this just one returnee who has gone off the track. Baldwin and Skouris need to know -- but will they find out before the Wraith completes this deadly covert objective?

Heirs of Empire (Dahak series)

David Weber

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For really tough jobs, Emperor Colin, the first of that name, is your man. The only person in the galaxy ever to stop the genocidal Achuutani, he went on from there to resurrect an empire that died fourty-five thousand years ago. He's still got a few problems - like a traitor out to murder him and three-quarters of a billion of his subjects - but if anyone can handle the job, it's Colin. But the rest of the galaxy better brace itself, because his progeny are on the way. Not that Sean and Harriet aren't nice kids; it's just that they've had a bad day.They're a long way from home, marooned with a blown up starship that's left them stranded on a theocratic world of gun powder and pikes, and Mother Church of that world doesn't like them very much. In fact, she's declared them demons, proclaimed Holy War, marshalled the Holy Host, and ordered them exterminated. You might think that things look pretty bleak for the kids, but in reality it's Mother Church that's in trouble - because Sean and Harry are chips off the old block - and they're about to get angry...

The Reality Dysfunction Part 2: Expansion

Peter F. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 71 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Unabashed Fun...part 2 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Quite simply, these books are a heck of a LOT of FUN. The overall quality of the writing is high. The world building is amazing. Characters, from monarchs to street rats, are believable and intriguing. The dialog is very natural and the humor is funny (this is rare in ANY genre, trust me.) The future tech is fantastic, the action is non-stop, the plot twists are imaginatively fun...and the bang for the buck is incalculable. (Okay, I'm no prude, but the sex scenes didn't do much for me. They're very short though - 2 to 3 paragraphs maybe?)

Call me sub-genius, but I think one critic said the bad guys were "too violent." Hmmm, keep that cold pack right there on your temple, Johnny... Yes, I occasionally lost track of a character thread that hadn't "been around" for a while. It never took more than a few paragraphs for the setting, character or plot line to refresh me though.

These books are as much fun as the Many Colored Land series by Julian May (read them too!) In summary, if the critics have better stuff, please get it published so I can read it!

Editorial Review:

An epic science fiction saga is set in a primitive world of the distant future, where two groups battle for hegemony--the Edenists, telepathic, genetically engineered space-dwellers, and the Adamists, who reject technology. Reprint."

Star Trek: Errand of Fury Book 3: Sacrifices of War (Star Trek)

Kevin Ryan

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Editorial Review:

Poised on the verge of interstellar war, Captain Kirk's last best hope that the Federation can stop the Klingons is the people of Organia, avowed pacifists.

Forced to disguise themselves as interstellar traders, Captain Kirk and Mister Spock are trapped on the primitive world of Organia as Klingon Defense Forces occupy the planet. Determined to make the Organians see that they need not bow to oppression, the Starfleet officers sabotage Klingon materiel. In retaliation, the Klingon captain, Kor, executes many Organians. Unconcerned, the Council of Elders begs Kirk and Spock to stop the violence.

While in deep space the forces of Starfleet and the Klingon Empire scramble to position their fleets for the first onslaught of what could be a long and deadly war.

Infoquake: Book One of the Jump 225 Trilogy

David Louis Edelman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Four out of Five on the Infoquake scale 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The World is different in the future than we imagine it. In Mr. Edelman's future ochres (nanorobots)course through your body, modifying what your body is able to do. Supporting this are the fiefcorps who develop new functionality for the ochres with the body. One of the hottest fiefcorps is Natch Personal Services (we're introduced to Natch (the owner/super coder), Jara (the analyst), and Horvil (another super coder). Later we meet Robby Robby (sales), Benyamin (junior coder), Merri (an Objectivv supporting Natch), and Quell (another super coder). Because of Natch's style and panache for the market, Natch Personal Services is invited to participate in the development of MultiReal with the Surina, assuming the Defense and Wellness Council doesn't intervene in this new technology.
My Likes: Mr. Edelman does an excellent job developing his story. He does this by divind the story into four basic parts; describing Natch Personal Services and setting the stage for the world (Number One on Primo's), telling us about Natch's past (The Shortest Initiation), establishing MultiReal (The Phoenix Project), and building/deploying MultiReal (The Sunina/Natch MultiReal Fiefcorp and Demons in the Aether). All sections are critical but I feel that Mr. Edelman put a little extra into The Phoenix Project, possibly because it's closest to his experiences. In additional, Mr. Edelman does an excellent job looking at the world of product development; in this case Bio/Logics (there's a positive resemblance to software development). The cut-throatness of the development world is captured so nicely. I was repeatedly reminded of our own software world where companies will do anything to beat their competition with early development and positive reviews from sources like PCWorld or ZDNet. There's also some nice Appendices in the back where Mr. Edelman explains the history of his world and his technologies.

My Dislikes: I'll open by saying I have a hard time believing that products impacting humans as directly as Bio/Logics or ochre's would be as unregulated/untested as Mr. Edelman describes. While people may strive toward perfection, I have a hard time believing that the average person would permit things in their body that would alter their body with nominal product testing, not to mention system level testing for possible impacts between products. Yes, Mr. Edelman does describe part of society being very Libertarian, but the level he drives it to makes the consumer look stupid. Another problem I have is Mr. Edelman has a nice Data Sea and nanorobotics but says that the sentient supercomputers are dead due to the Autonomous Revolt. How do people connect to the Data Sea? If Autonomous machines are dead, what are the drivers that enable the connection between many distant locations? Also, the normal delay time of people "remoting" (multi projection) to different locations doesn't seem to be factored in. A speed of light time delay means that a multi projection of a person from London to Shenandoah is approximately .02 seconds, not factoring any delays due to traffic loading or processors. Btw, of the parts in the book the section on the Shortest Initiation is the weakest. While an interesting premise I have a hard time with people taking young adults who've known nanorobots to aid them and placing them in a raw environment without training. The mortality rate would have been terrible with no training, especially given 17-18 year old ways and the factor that Mr. Edelman set them up in a cold weather environment. An interesting idea, but not one I consider viable.

The Rating: Four stars. While Mr. Edelman has written about something most writers won't go into (product development), I was reminded of to many writers that did something similar but better. Stories I was reminded of included Neuromancer (Ace Science Fiction) (Gibson; the concept of SeeNaRee and the Data Sea), Cyteen (Cherryh; politics in technology and new technologies), Old Man's War(Scalzi; nanorobotics technology), and Ender's Game(Card; Natch's personality a ways as compared to Ender Wiggins). In all cases, Infoquake placed 2nd for me. Gibson was more revolutionary, Cherryh's presentation is more solid, Scalzi's technology is more believable, and Card's characters are more likable. All of this said, I did enjoy reading Infoquake and was motivated to turning the pages to see what Natch and Natch Personal Services was up to next. Because of this, a solid 4 stars.

Editorial Review:

Natch is a master of biologics, the programming of the human body. He's clawed and scraped his way to the top of the biologics market using little more than his wits. Now his sudden notoriety has brought him to the attention of Margaret Surina, the owner of a mysterious new technology called MultiReal. Only by enlisting Natch's devious mind can Margaret keep MultiReal out of the hands of High Executive Len Borda and his ruthless armies. To fend off the intricate net of enemies closing in around him, Natch and his apprentices must accomplish the impossible. They must understand this strange new technology, run through the product development cycle, and prepare MultiReal for release to the public - all in three days. Meanwhile, hanging over everything is the spectre of the infoquake, a lethal burst of energy that's disrupting the biologic networks and threatening to send the world crashing back into the Dark Ages.