Science Fiction & Fantasy 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.

Perelandra (Space Trilogy, Book 2)

C.S. Lewis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 90 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The best of the series 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy is easily one of the best series I've ever read, and while each volume is so strong that it's difficult to choose the best, Perelandra, the second book, builds well on the foundation laid by Out of the Silent Planet and, in the end, outshines the final book, That Hideous Strength.

The story begins as Lewis, writing himself into his own story, arrives in the English countryside to visit his old friend Dr. Ransom, with whom he has been corresponding about Ransom's strange journey to Mars, chronicled in the first book of the series. When Lewis arrives, Ransom reveals that the eldils--angelic creatures bound to different planets--of Mars have continuously visited him since his return to Earth, and that he is to leave on another journey that very night. Boxed up in an otherworldly, coffin-like capsule, Ransom is whisked away and doesn't return for over a year. When he does, he narrates his story through Lewis.

Perelandra is the actual name of what we call the planet Venus, and when Ransom crashes through the dense, cloudy atmosphere he finds himself in a world of nothing but ocean, where floating islands of matted plants drift along, providing a place for rest and sleep. There, he meets the Queen of Venus, a green-skinned, naked woman apparently innocent of all knowledge except that told directly to her by Maleldil, or God. She knows the animals and their names, that her husband, the King, is somewhere on the same planet, and that Maleldil has forbidden them both to spend the night on solid land.

Ransom decides that he has been brought to a new Eden, but for what purpose? His question is answered when a familiar-looking spaceship lands on Perelandra and Dr. Weston, the Nietzschean nemesis of Out of the Silent Planet, rows ashore. Weston soon plays host to a devilish tempter and Ransom's duty becomes clear--he must prevent this Eden's fall.

Perelandra is a tour de force for C.S. Lewis. All of his skills are on display and sharply focused--the beautifully-drawn world, the deep resonance of his message and theme, and even the wry, good-natured humor that underlies so much of his work. And the work is far deeper than most scientific or theological fiction--parallels to his own works, such as The Screwtape Letters, and works like Paradise Lost and The Divine Comedy abound. Those to Paradise Lost are perhaps the most pointed, as Lewis dethrones Milton's concept of a high, stately Satan and replaces it with the far more likely childish, vindictive devil that inhabits Weston.

The Space Trilogy is very loosely constructed, which means that any one of the books can be read as either part of the series or as stand-alone entertainment. It may not be necessary to read Out of the Silent Planet prior to this novel, but I'd recommend it and, if you choose not to, you'll want to once you've finished Perelandra. You won't be disappointed.

Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

The second book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which also includes Out of the Silent Planet and That Hideous Strength, Perelandra continues the adventures of the extraordinary Dr. Ransom. Pitted against the most destructive of human weaknesses, temptation, the great man must battle evil on a new planet -- Perelandra -- when it is invaded by a dark force. Will Perelandra succumb to this malevolent being, who strives to create a new world order and who must destroy an old and beautiful civilization to do so? Or will it throw off the yoke of corruption and achieve a spiritual perfection as yet unknown to man? The outcome of Dr. Ransom's mighty struggle alone will determine the fate of this peace-loving planet.

That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, Book 3)

C.S. Lewis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 89 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Probably Lewis's worst. 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Firstly let me say I'm an atheist; I find all religious beliefs to be rather silly.

However this book (even more than its predecessors) is awful. It's not so much about Lewis's religious beliefs as about his politics and personal life; the whole thing is a huge compendium of Blimpish Tory ranting against anything vaguely liberal in Britain post-1945. Far and away Lewis's worst and most infuriating book. It is also embarrassingly, offensively, sexist ("Write no more books, have children instead").
There is quite a lot of messed up sexism in the whole trilogy, even more so than Lewis's work in general. It seems to (mainly) boil down to a lot of the "essentialist male = closer to God" nonsense and monarchy-worship (Lewis was an ardent monarchist and distrusted democracy, as shown in this and other books).
It seems to me that Lewis (to paraphrase Patricia Schroder) was scared by the whole notion of a woman who has a brain and a uterus.

Lewis must have been going through a pretty bad time personally during and right after the war, to write such a bizarre, mean-spirited, book. Perhaps it's more about Lewis's own doubts, and his reaction to the general loss of religious faith caused by the war, as the book seems to be written to bolster his *own* faith.

Also the book is downright illogical in it's perception of god (e.g. the Merlin character's pronouncements against Jane for using birth control; obviously Lewis's god couldn't cope with a diaphragm.......). If this is God's will, that we be governed by the apparent mentality of a sulky child, then indeed it is a toss-up which side is good and which evil

Editorial Review:

The final book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, That Hideous Strength concludes the adventures of the matchless Dr. Ransom. The dark forces that were repulsed in Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra are massed for an assault on the planet Earth itself. Word is on the wind that the mighty wizard Merlin has come back to the land of the living after many centuries, holding the key to ultimate power for that force which can find him and bend him to its will. A sinister technocratic organization is gaining power throughout Europe with a plan to "recondition" society, and it is up to Ransom and his friends to squelch this threat by applying age-old wisdom to a new universe dominated by science. The two groups struggle to a climactic resolution that brings the Space Trilogy to a magnificent, crashing close.

DragonSpell (Dragon Keepers Chronicles, Book 1)

Donita K. Paul

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 82 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

One Dragon Egg Holds the Key to the Future.

Once a slave, Kale is given the unexpected opportunity to become a servant to Paladin. Yet this young girl has much to learn about the difference between slavery and service.

A Desperate Search Begins…

A small band of Paladin’s servants rescue Kale from danger but turn her from her destination: The Hall, where she was to be trained. Feeling afraid and unprepared, Kale embarks on a perilous quest to find the meech dragon egg stolen by the foul Wizard Risto. First, she and her comrades must find Wizard Fenworth. But their journey is threatened when a key member of the party is captured, leaving the remaining companions to find Fenworth, attempt an impossible rescue, and recover the egg whose true value they have not begun to suspect…

Weaving together memorable characters, daring adventure, and a core of eternal truth, Dragonspell is a finely crafted and welcome addition to the corpus of fantasy fiction.

DragonFire (Dragon Keepers Chronicles, Book 4)

Donita K. Paul

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Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Three years of strife have passed since Kale and Bardon freed Paladin’s knights. Now, fiery dragons scorch their beautiful countryside as an evil husband-and-wife wizard duo battle one another for supremacy. The people of Amara just want to be left alone, hoping the conflict with disappear. But Paladin is dying, and Bardon and Kale–now married–must accept fateful assignments if their land is to survive. Will their efforts turn the tide against their adversaries?

They face a deadly threat–and a challenging choice.

Kale’s responsibility is to find, hatch, and train an army of dragons, and she tackles the daunting task–until she is shocked by a betrayal. As the Amaran countrymen seek escape, she must search for her husband, family, and friends while organizing an underground movement to weaken the enemy. But when the end draws near, Kale must choose between two dismal destinies.

Prepare to experience breathtaking adventure and mind-blowing fantasy as never before in this stunning addition to Donita K. Paul’s popular Dragon Keepers fantasy series.

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

DragonKnight (Dragon Keepers Chronicles, Book 3)

Donita K. Paul

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Trapped in an evil spell… can the knights of Paladin be rescued?

Before vowing his allegiance to Wulder as a knight, Bardon heads to the mountains for solitude. His life is suddenly complicated by a woman and her granddaughter, N’Rae, on a mission to rescue the woman’s son trapped in a chamber of sleep. Bardon learns that more of Paladin’s knights are imprisoned–and suspects one of them is Dragon Keeper Kale’s missing father.

The secret is in their hands–and hearts.

The band travels north, uncertain of their destination and encountering numerous perils. When they unlock the chamber, they discover a dozen knights–who cannot be awakened. The journal holding the secret to rousing them is in an unknown language. How can they find the help they need, and overcome even graver obstacles, to rescue the knights?
Return to the land of dragons and magic you discovered in Dragonspell and DragonQuest, in this finely crafted and memorable work of fantasy fiction with a core of eternal truth.

DragonQuest (Dragon Keepers Chronicles, Book 2)

Donita K. Paul

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Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A New Quest Begins

A dragonkeeper of Paladin, Kale is summoned from the Hall to The Bogs by the Wizard Fenworth to serve as his apprentice and tend his newly hatched meech dragon, Regidor. But Kale isn’t going alone. The Hall is sending a student to monitor her performance and report back to the scholars. Worst of all, it’s Bardon–an older boy Kale finds irritating, but who at least can hold his own in a sword fight.

New Friendships Are Forged

Meanwhile, the Wizard Risto has seized another meech dragon, bringing him dangerously close to gaining the power he seeks. So with only a motley band of companions, Kale sets out on a desperate quest to rescue the second meech, to free those dragons already enslaved, and to thwart Risto’s devious plans. It’s up to Kale to lead the search and to embrace the role that’s rightfully hers. But will her efforts be enough to save the land of Amara from the dark future that awaits at Risto’s hands?

The Didymus Contingency: A Time Travel Thriller

Jeremy Robinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Promises a lot delivers so so 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was looking for another off shoot of The Da Vinci Code, so perhaps this is why this book was so disappointing. The writing for me was too bland. Robinson could have taken the theme and run away with it. Unfortunately, all he did was walk. A "nice" read, but nothing extraordinary.

Stunning Collision of Biblical History & Science Fiction 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Whether you find yourself a believer of the Christian Bible or not, author Jeremy Robinson has crafted a sci-fi thriller that any history or sci-fi enthusiast will love. He has created a character, a quantum physicist named Tom, who has the brains, the ability and the resources to use science in creating a way to travel in time.

Through a series of events, he also has a strong, personal motive to travel back to the time of Jesus of Nazareth for one purpose: to prove the man is a fake. But when he meets Jesus, he is surprised at how "human" this so-called deity really is. The author paints a refreshing picture of the historical Jesus through his novel that makes you reconsider your own view of the man.

Where the author's skills shine and where the books develops its paged-turning, hard-to-put-down quality is in the way the author creates his fiction in a way that's true to the historical texts he uses as a reference. Each section is filled with dangers from the current timeline as well as dangers from the first century. Through it all, Tom continues to the bitter end in proving that his friend, which Jesus becomes to him, is, indeed, a fake. The scientist in him forces him to seek the truth in spite of his feelings.

Through the well-crafted words of a fast-paced thriller, the author takes you on a journey of one man's personal pursuit for the truth, regardless of what history, and his closest friends may think. This is one journey you will be glad you took with Tom.

Editorial Review:

If you could go back in time...and witness any event...where would you go?

When Dr. Tom Greenbaum faces that question after successfully discovering the secret to time travel, he knows the time, place and event he will witness: the death and failed resurrection of Jesus Christ. Dr. David Goodman, Tom's colleague and closest friend follows Tom into the past, attempting to avert a time-space catastrophe, but forces beyond their control toss them into a dangerous end game where they are tempted by evil characters, betrayed by friends, pursued by an assassin from the future and haunted by a demon that cannot be killed.

The Lost Choice

Andy Andrews

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Are you ready for a little soul-searching? 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 15 people found this review helpful.

I would first like to point out that the product information on Amazon is incorrect. This is not a 64 page book. I believe that product info is for Andrew's book, "Socks for Christmas". THE LOST CHOICE by Andy Andrews is 247 pages.

Andrew's is one of my favorite writers. His book, "The Traveler's Gift" is one of my all-time favorites. If you haven't read it, I give it my highest recommendation. The Lost Choice is not as compelling a read as The Traveler's Gift, but is nonetheless a wonderful read of it's own.

The subject here is an ancient relic. Whoever possessed the relic, or one of the pieces thereof, held a date with predestination, giving them the rather providential ability to achieve great things. Lest the relic should fall into the wrong hands, it was broken into four separate pieces nearly two thousand years ago. Each piece, since that time, has brought an area of great achievement to its possessor.

This riveting tale travels through history and reminds the reader of what so many others have achieved before us. George Washington Carver, Queen Elizabeth, William Wallace and Oskar Schindler, just to name a few.

Unlike other works by Andrews, the inspirational message here is not crystal clear, but lies instead, just beneath the surface. I could see where some readers might place the emphasis on the object, but the object is simply Andrew's tool for delivering the message. We don't need to find a piece of relic with the power to make us do great things. That piece of relic is already there, within each of us. The question becomes, what we choose to do with it.

You see, even though the relic itself is fictional, Oskar Schindler still found it inside himself to save lives at the enormous risk of losing his own. George Washington Carver still found it inside himself to feed literally millions of people with his work in agriculture. It is well documented that indeed, Alfred Vanderbilt did indeed sacrifice his own safety to save lives on the Lusitania. What influenced these people to make those decisions and dedicate their lives to others? Whatever it was, we each possess that same thing within ourselves. What will we each do with it?

In the end, I believe Andrews failed slightly to bring the story to an acceptable close. The epilogue seemed as though Andrews didn't know quite how to finish his great story. Nonetheless, a very good book that will send you searching your soul and asking yourself the hard questions in life.