Search Results for: science fiction

Review: Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Rescue Company

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One of my goals this year is to read more recently written science fiction than Ender’s Game, which was originally published in the 1980s. Thanks to this pledge, I was excited to be able to read Crater Trueblood through the BookLook blogger program. Is it worth the read? Find out below!

crater trueblood and the lunar rescue companyBook: Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Rescue Company

Author: Homer Hickam (of October Sky fame)

Genre: YA sci-fi

Source: Free from publisher Thomas Nelson through BookLook Bloggers

Readability Rating: 3 stars

Morality Rating: PG

Target Audience: Teens and science-fiction lovers

Buy the Books on Amazon (affiliate links): Book 1, Book 2, Book 3

Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Rescue Company Book Summary (From Amazon)

Crater Trueblood has to rescue his ex-girlfriend . . . and the entire human race.

Maria Medaris is the 21-year-old matriarch of the most powerful family on the moon–gorgeous, powerful, and high-maintenance. When she is kidnapped by green-lipped, gene-splicing scientists, Maria’s only hope turns out to be the very man she once spurned: Crater Trueblood.

Crater and the Lunar Rescue Company must rescue Maria before she joins forces with the lunatics who have taken her hostage and aim to make her queen.

Turns out more than Maria is at stake: the planet Earth, majestically hanging over the lunar horizon, is in the crosshairs of an asteroid engineered by Maria’s abductors. If Crater can’t stop it, humanity on Earth will be destroyed.

The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance . . . and the clock is ticking.

Quick Review

I at once loved the nod to classic “golden age” themes of sci-fi and was confused by the love triangle. Personally, I wish romance would stay far away from science fiction novels, or at least remain at the edges, so I was sad to see it such a heavy aspect of The Lunar Rescue Company. Overall, however, the book offers a fast-paced, solid science fiction adventure that will round out any collection.

Extended Review

Plot: In the third book in the series, the themes started in book 1 and book 2 were nicely wrapped up, but in such a way as to feel a little too completed. I tend to like books that allow a little more room for interpretation at the end, but that is mainly just a personal preference.

Characters: The characters never quite gelled. Crater seemed a little flat and boring, and Maria got on my nerves a bit. Other than that, I loved the interaction between the characters and their development through the story.

Setting: I liked the setting for the Lunar Rescue Company. It offered the same feeling as the classic Star Wars books I used to read (Aside: why is the Star Wars universe the only place you can monetize fan fiction?) with plenty of space travel, strange new worlds, and a sort of seedy feel to the universe that are the hallmarks of the genre.

Writing: The writing was solid, but failed to really pull me into the story. I read about the first 1/3 of the book just waiting to be pulled in enough to continue reading. On occasion, the dialogue seemed on the corny side, but nothing that is entirely unexpected from a YA book.

Overall Thoughts

The Crater Trueblood series is a fun, engaging science fiction series that is perfect for readers who like their stories on the cleaner side. Many science fiction novels involve a lot of swearing or mature themes that parents may not want younger readers exposed to. The Crater Trueblood series allows readers to explore classic sci-fi themes without the inclusion of adult content.

Who should buy this book: Anyone who loves classic science fiction and adventure or who loved the book Rocket Boys.

More YA Sci-Fi on Daily Mayo

The 21 Best Science Fiction Novels Chosen by Book Bloggers

Renegades

Intelligenz

Seeds of Transition 

Review: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

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The Time Machine is one of the most classic science fiction books ever written. It was first published in 1895. The basic plot of the story is as follows: A scientist creates a time machine for going back and forth through time. He invites some people over to tell them about the machine. He first travels to almost a million years into the future, where he discovers two separate peoples. One of them, the Eloi, is surface-dwelling and largely useless people. The second people are the Morlocks, and they live under the ground and actually do all of the work. The time traveler then discovers that the Morlocks stole his machine so that he cannot get back. The rest of the book talks about how he gets the machine back and one further adventure to 30 million years into the future.

This book is innovative, but like most books from the period, rather dull. Most of the book is narrated from the first person, which instead of having excitement, reads like a really long lecture. But if you can get past the dullness of the text, the story itself is actually interesting. The main point of the story seems somewhat political in nature, due to the highly divided class of futuristic people.

Overall, this book is well-written and interesting. I give it three out of five stars.

Renegades Spotlight and Giveaway by Sara Mason (science fiction)

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Book Genre: Science fiction

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: October 31, 2013

Buy it:  Amazon

Renegades Book Summary

Elora Pertin spent her life trying to please her father, an esteemed General for the Empire.

When he convinced her to leave her quiet life as a scientist to advance a secret project for the Emperor, she had no idea what she was getting into. The seemingly innocent projects she engineered were actually being used to develop a genocidal weapon. After uncovering the Emperor’s plot, Elora had no choice but to act.

Elora finds herself fighting for her life against the Empire she once served, abandoning everything with only a handful of friends and an unlikely ally—the Emperor’s deadliest assassin. Will he prove himself true as her protector, a loyal servant of the Empire, or a romantic distraction? With the law and assassins searching the star system for them, Elora and her team are determined to accomplish their mission . . . or die trying.

About the Author

Sara Atherton Mason was raised in Somerville, Massachusetts, with an amazing immediate and extended family. She attended Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, graduating with highest honors in Chemistry. She then graduated from the Florida State University College of Law with high honors. She lives in the Florida with her toy poodle, Melvin, and clerks for a United States District Court Judge. She enjoys coffee, wine, sports, and science fiction television shows.

Author Links –

http://www.saraathertonmason.com/

http://www.saraathertonmason.com/blog.html

https://www.facebook.com/SaraAthertonMason

https://twitter.com/saramason1287

http://www.pinterest.com/saramason1287/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7370794.S_A_Mason

Renegades Excerpt

Elora couldn’t take her eyes off the assassins. They each held a dagger in one hand and a throwing knife in the other, knees bent, crossing one foot in front of the other, seemingly waiting for the other to make the first move. Guilt rushed over her. Although she wasn’t particularly fond of Mordecai, she didn’t want him to be killed because of her scheme to notify the Assembly. And if he died, she and Nigel would surely follow.

“I have orders to spare you if you kill the renegades,” the woman said in a clear, even tone.

Without hesitation, Mordecai threw the knife, but the woman rolled forward, landed on her feet, and lunged at Mordecai with her dagger. Mordecai dodged the attack easily over the smooth dirt floor. His long reach with the dagger slashed the woman’s arm, but she didn’t falter. The blood trickling down her arm and onto her dagger didn’t seem to bother her. They exchanged blows and parries so quickly Elora couldn’t tell if Mordecai was winning or losing. Blades clanked and blood spattered on the dirt walls. But they kept moving.

Elora didn’t have training in hand-to-hand combat, but she knew Mordecai was good. He was quick and seemed to anticipate every move the woman made. The problem was the woman seemed to be just as intuitive as him. They moved around the room in a blur, neither missing a step.

Elora saw a male assassin come in through an air duct beside the fireplace, but before she could even yell out a warning, Mordecai threw a knife behind his back, sinking it into the man’s eye without taking his attention off the woman. He must have seen the man’s reflection in one of the woman’s daggers. Elora tried not to feel impressed by his remarkable ability to kill.

Mordecai ran up the wall beside the fireplace, flipped over the woman, and plunged his dagger down the woman’s shoulder blade as he landed on his feet. She crumbled to her knees and fell forward.

Two more assassins bolted through the main entrance, running straight at Mordecai, one after the other. In one fluid motion, Mordecai slit the first man’s throat. Blood sprayed all over the floor while the man squirmed for a few seconds before falling still. The second assassin was already on the floor with a shattered leg. The man’s femur was broken, and it pierced the skin. Elora couldn’t turn away even though she was disgusted by what she saw.

The downed assassin didn’t show any pain. Mordecai stood over him.

“I will do it.” The assassin looked up at Mordecai, who didn’t respond.

The assassin took his own dagger and stabbed himself in the heart, falling limp a second later.

Before yesterday, Elora had never seen a person killed, and now she hardly registered a man taking his own life.

Mordecai kept a dagger in his hand and checked the body of the other male assassin who came in the main entrance. Apparently satisfied he was dead, Mordecai locked the only entrance into the bunker and boarded up the fireplace and air duct.

Elora checked on Nigel, who was still huddled by the corner of the bed. He wasn’t injured, but was obviously in shock. Elora moved into the main room. The metallic smell of blood surrounded her.

“I feel like I’m going to be sick.”

Elora fell to her hands and knees and started heaving. Mordecai pulled her hair away from her face until she was finished.

“Nausea is a common reaction as the adrenaline leaves your system,” Mordecai said.

Elora could only reply with more vomiting.

“Thank you,” she replied a few minutes later as she wiped her mouth.

While Elora tried to gather her thoughts, Mordecai collected weapons from around the room, cleaned them, and put them in their proper place in his jacket.

“Where were you? I didn’t think you were here.” Elora’s voice shook.

“I was on watch,” Mordecai replied matter-of-factly. “Our location is compromised. We must leave. Gather Nigel and your things.”

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Book Review: Intelligenz by Lloyd Blake (science fiction)

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intelligenz book cover lloyd blake

This post is part of the Enchanted Book Promotions tour for Intelligenz. I received a copy of the book free for an honest review.

Title: Intelligenz (The Dark Atlanta Series)

Author: Lloyd Blake

Genre: Science Fiction

Readability Rating: 4 stars

Morality Rating: PG-13

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis

Atlanta, Georgia. Something disturbing is happening at one of America’s most successful tech companies. A girl is found dead in her home shower cubicle. A home linked to the Intelligenz corporation network of technologically advanced gated communities. This suspicious death, in a world where everything is scrutinised by the media, sets off unprecedented interest.

A young rookie journalist, Clara Flockhart, is assigned by her chief editor, Eric Nash, to investigate the strange happenings at the Intelligenz compound. An assignment that will plunge her into the unknown and lead her straight to the man whose company is being rocked by events outside of his control, Brandon Bloomfield.

At the same time, a young college dropout, Karl Jones, has his own suspicions about the recent death and the gated community that has overtaken his neighbourhood. Suspicions that will see him undertake his own exploration of the Intelligenz compound, he calls the fortress.

As the body count climbs and the nanotechnology, Intelligenz has secretly guarded, comes under scrutiny, the mysterious riddle as to what is actually happening deepens.

Is there a saboteur lurking within the corridors of the fastest growing company in America’s corporate history? Or does the darkness come from an unlikely source.

About the Author

Lloyd hails from London, UK, and has always been fascinated by the power of words and books. As a child he engrossed himself in books, his favourite author being Roald Dahl. Years later, he was reading his brothers X-men, Spiderman, and all other super hero comics. Soon after, he would try his hand at writing short stories, mostly grizzly stories dripping with horror elements.

It wasn’t until he was at university studying business and marketing, he decided to fulfil his lifelong ambition of writing a full length novel.  ‘The fight for Naturah’ was born, a science fiction fantasy epic set in a parallel universe. The idea for his second novel sprung from the technological revolution that has immersed our world – what with social media, the internet, and the proliferation of gadgets and gizmos to aid our lives. The dark Atlanta series: Intelligenz, is the first book of an intended series and is a science fiction psychological thriller that examines the perils of our fascination with technology. The first book is published through shiftingpaperpublishing.

Lloyd will soon start work on the next installment in the series.

www.lloydblake.com

www.twitter.com/lloydblake21

Quick Review

This science fiction book brings an element to reality that is missing from many modern science fiction books. I liked the thought that went into the plot, even though it was a little over-the-top.

Extended Review

Plot: I liked how the plot was somewhat realistic. Like a movie, the plot was a little too far-fetched, but I liked the nod to reality and enjoyed the progression of events.

Characters: The characters seemed a little immature at times, but they were supposed to be young, so that could be intentional.

Setting: The setting fit well with the theme of the book. Nothing in particular stood out as far as the setting goes, but I didn’t think anything stuck out oddly either.

Writing: This story was written in British English, which made some of the phrases odd and a little out-of-place. I’m not sure if it was because of the differences between British English and American English, or if it was simply some written oddities by the author, but the writing wasn’t distracting enough to detract from the story.

Overall Thoughts

If you are a fan of modern science fiction full of action and thrilling events then you should like this story. I had a lot of fun while reading it.

 

Top 21 Sci-Fi Books for Summer Chosen by Book Nerds and Book Bloggers

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It’s no secret that sci-fi books are my first love. I’ve fallen away from the genre recently, though, which is why I decided to get help for this post!

I asked fellow book-lovers and bloggers around the Interwebs for their top picks, and the result is 21 top sci-fi books for summer!

Here are the wonderful people who contributed to this post! Thanks guys!

If you need any more awesome books to read, check out their blogs.

Without further ado, here are the top sci-fi books chosen by bloggers and book-lovers!

top science fiction books for summer 500

the starbounders book coverThe Starbounders by Adam Jay Epstein

The Starbounders series follows the adventures of Zachary Night as he heads off to space camp to learn how to protect the galaxy. But as everyone knows, things can never go as planned in space, and Zach and friends uncover a dangerous plot to destroy the earth. Can Zach and friends get back to earth in time to save the day?

Starbounders is an excellent middle-grade sci-fi series full of action, adventure, and humor.

All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

From the cover, I thought this was a graphic novel. It isn’t (however, there is a graphic novel version). It was recently made into all you need is kill book coverthe movie The Edge of Tomorrow, which is why I picked it up, but All You Need Is Kill is the perfect sci-fi novel. It reminded me why I used to love reading science fiction so much when I was younger. It has action, time travel, aliens, global war, and even a bit of romance. Although the book is all about replaying the same battle over and over, it didn’t read too action-heavy.

Basically, Keiji Kiriya  is a regular soldier about to face his first battle. Suited up in a mech suit, he runs straight into trouble and… dies. But the next day, he wakes up and it is yesterday. Keiji must figure out how to defeat the aliens that kill him every day and uncover just why this endless time loop is happening. Think groundhog day with mech suits.

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

starship troopers book coverStarship Troopers follows a similar plot to All You Need is Kill, in that the story is about a new soldier learning to fight the enemy. However, what makes this book stand out is the political and satire undertones that may make you question everything you thought about war. Starship Troopers borders on dystopian fiction, but just narrowly manages to avoid it.

World War Z by Max Brooksworld war z book cover

How is a story about zombies in my list of science fiction? Because the story of how these zombies arrive and create an epidemic is similar to how any disease travels across the globe. If there ever was a virus or disease that could make people eat one another, I imagine it would play out much like World War Z.

Under Different Stars by Amy A Bartol 

under differnet stars book coverUnder Different Stars is a sort of space sci-fi romance, which is a unique twist on the genre. Kricket Hollowell thinks she is just a regular orphan abandoned by her parents, but when she is chased by some mysterious men who claim she is a princess from a far away world, she knows her life will never be the same. How will Kricket cope when transported to her real homeland and faced with sudden danger and a whole new culture? Will she survive or collapse under the pressure under different stars?

I Robot by Isaac Asmov 

You can’t go wrong with classic sci-fi like I, Robot. This collection of  robot-themed short stories basically created the modern AI i robot book coverview on robots. Asmov is reposnsible for creating the rules for intelligent robots, and most robot stories and movies are based on the ideas in this collection of stories. Reading this book will make you shiver a bit, because what if one day, robots become indistinguishable from people?

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell 

the sparrow book coverIn The Sparrow, 8 people from different backgrounds (four Jesuit priests, a physician, her engineer husband, , a young astronomer, and a child prostitute-turned-computer-expert) are sent to a foreign planet to contact a new alien species. The experience is so shocking, only one person survives and it makes everyone question what it means to be human. The strangely religious focus of the book brings an entirely new prospective to the sci-fi genre.


The Martian by Andy Weirthe martian book cover

Mark Watney is the first astronaut to walk on Mars, but 6 days later, he believes he may be the first to die there as well after a dust storm separates him from the rest of the crew. With lingering supplies and no way to signal earth, Marks’ days are numbered. Not ready to give up, Mark is determined to defy all odds and pull through. The Martian is sort of a space-themed Castaway, but enjoyable none-the-less!


sad robot stories book coverSad Robot Stories by Mason Johnson

Sad Robot Stories, written by Chicago performer Mason Johnson, tells the sad tale of Robot, a robot who recently lost his human friend and seeks to find the true meaning of life. With a mix of literary themes, humor, and the sly reference to numerous other science fiction stories, Sad Robot Stories is at once humorous and a little heartbreaking.


Starship Grifters by Robert Kroese 

Starship Grifters follows the adventures of swashbuckling space adventurer Rex Nihilo. Not being the smartest guy in the universe,starship gifters book cover he tries to fleece a wealthy weapons dealer and ends up owing a massive depth. To avoid imprisonment, Rex must try to pull off his biggest scam yet. This light-hearted science-fiction novel will have everyone wishing they could go on space adventures, too.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

the martian chronicles book coverRay Bradbury was the master of sci-fi and dystopian fiction. Most of his stories featured one or more of these themes, and The Martian Chronicles offered a collection of mars-themed space novellas that give an interesting picture of what the future might hold. The oddest thing about this book is how the martians live like 1950s suburbanites, which gives the entire book an almost nightmarish feel which is quite delicious.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

This book is ancient, and frankly, a little boring to read. Yet, the concept is so fascinating, I have to the war of the worlds book coverput it on this list. The War of the Worlds follows what happens after aliens land on earth and just start blowing stuff up. There is no reasoning with these guys, they just want to destroy everything.

What I find the most interesting about this story is that it was written just as cars were being invented in 1898. Yet, the story talks about high-tech space-age technology better than many books written today. I am blown away with how intelligent and imaginative H.G. Wells must have been. It would have been something to meet him!

enders game book coverEnder’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game was my first delving into the true science fiction genre, and I am forever grateful. Ender’s Game follows the story of a smart boy snatched away from his family for hardcore war training against the future attack of the alien “buggers.” The trouble is, Ender doesn’t want to fight. He just wants to win and will do whatever it takes to win, even if it means sacrificing everyone he cares about, even his very being. (watching the movie felt like it used everyday technology, but the ansible wireless network basically invented streaming Internet before the Internet even existed)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The ultimate space humor novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy offers an irreverent and unapologetic look at life. Arthur the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy book coverDent wakes one morning to discover his house is about to be torn down to build a highway, but it doesn’t matter anyway because the world is about to explode. Luckily, Arthur’s friend Ford just so happens to be an intergalactic travel writer and can  help Arthur escape to adventures of improbable proportions before he is blown to smithereens.

The Rowan by Anne McCaffrey

the rowan book coverThe Rowan is a space-romance  that sounds a little odd on premise, but comes out as a touching, fun story about the power of love. Rowan is a telepathic survivor of a mining disaster who trains to become a member of the Federal Telepath & Teleport network, who is responsible for shipping and communication across the galaxy. Rowan feels alinated due to her powers and orphan past, but when she senses a fellow telepath she bonds with him in an effort to defeat some aliens who want to destroy the human race (ain’t that always the way?).

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave is a YA science fiction novel about 16-year-old Cassie who remains one of the few left alive on earth the 5th wave book coverafter aliens have sent four waves to destroy all of humanity. Now, the 5th wave of attacks are coming, and Cassie must work hard to survive. Through it all, she must work together with the mysterious Evan Walker to locate her brother who still might be alive. Will Cassie be able to survive long enough to fight back?

The Forever War by Joe Halderman 

the forever war book coverWinner of the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, The Forever War follows the tale of William Mandella propelled into the future to fight against aliens that have yet to attack. However, the distant battle is only the beginning. When William returns home, he is only a little older, but the earth has aged thousands of years in his absence. Fans of straight sci-fi will love this book.

The Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell

In The Lost Fleet series, Captain Black Jack is revered for his space victories and was presumed dead. But when he the lost fleet dauntless book coverreturns 100 years later out of hibernation, he is forced into command of the Alliance Fleet as it faces a new enemy. Black Jack realizes that the only way to truly defeat the enemy is to bring the Syndic hypernet key back home. But to do so will take more heroic action and bravery than Jack showed even in the most exaggerated stories. Will Jack be able to live up to his heroic name and save the planet once again? The Lost Fleet is a mix between action and science fiction elements.

Lucifer’s Hammer By Jerry Pournelle

lucifers hammer book coverLucifer’s Hammer is more of an apocalyptic version of science fiction rather than the typical space fiction, which is a refreshing addition to the list. A gigantic comet has hit the earth, creating large earthquakes and tidal waves which have destroyed civilization and launched the world into a new Ice Age. But unlike The Day After Tomorrow, the challenges and struggles of the people remaining seem realistic.

The Old Man’s War Series by John Scalzi

Told in a style similar to Starship Troopers, Old Man’s War (and the rest of the novels in the series) focus on the old mans war book coverchallenges of intergalactic politics and war. John Perry joins the military at age 75, simply because he has nothing else to live for after his wife dies. He gets a new young body and is trained for combat with aliens who are fighting against humans for the control of the few habitable planets in the Universe. But the more John fights, the more he wonders, is the slaughter and fight justified?

Old Man’s War is the perfect newer retelling of classic science fiction action themes.

The Void Series by Vivian TM Foxe

the stroke of lightning book coverThe Void Series is an erotic science fiction novel with a heavy emphasis on space fantasy. In the first book, The Stroke of Lightning,
Alleah Zea is a princess warrior from a planet of cat-shifting aliens. Her father tells her she must move to a wolf-shifting planet to facilitate the takeover of the planet. While there, she runs into an old flame, Jackel; which sparks up a mature-themed Romeo and Juliet romance between the two at-odds lovers. In the end. Jackel must choose between saving his planet and his love for Alleah. But which is the right choice, following your heart or following your responsibility?

This is mainly an erotic romance set in space, so if that isn’t your thing, you won’t like this book.

***

Wow, that was a long list. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

Let’s keep the list going! What are your top picks for science fiction? 

Review: 3 Fun Lighthearted Science Fiction/Fantasy Reads

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Science fiction is one of my favorite genres. I love reading about the possibilities of the future (even though most people think it is going to be horrible). However, not all science fiction is doom and gloom. The following are three science fiction/fantasy stories with a more lighthearted tale to tell.

The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty

the universe buildersAuthor: Steve Lebel
Genre: Modern Lighthearted Fantasy
Source: Free from publisher
Readability Rating: 4 stars
Morality Rating: PG
Buy it: Amazon

Target audience: People who don’t mind poking fun at religion.

The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty Book Summary (from Amazon)

What if God got a C- in Universe Building 101? (Well, not our God, of course. One of those other guys…)

Dive into a humorous fantasy world unlike anything you have imagined. A world of gods and goddesses who build universes for a living. Are they all-powerful and all-knowing? Well, not exactly…

As Bernie graduates from God School, he is thrilled to land his dream job as a builder of universes. His first assignment is to build his own universe. Determined but unsure, bright but without confidence, Bernie forges ahead, only to find problems everywhere. Mysterious asteroids, unexplained volcanoes, shifting continents and more lead him to suspect sabotage. But who could sabotage his universe? Only another god could do that.

It’s god vs. god, guile vs. goodness, where only one of them plays by the rules. Bernie must find a way to outwit his vicious foe. If he fails, it will cost him everything.

A fascinating tale of good vs. evil and a young hero on a journey of self-discovery in an original, humorous, fantastic wrapper.

What I Liked Most

I thought the story of The Universe Builders was engaging, interesting, and fun. My favorite part was the descriptions of how Bernie decided to make the universe in certain ways. Although- he’s not really making entire universes, mainly just a few planets in one solar system. The plot was fun and progressed quickly.

What I Liked Least

The biggest issue I had with The Universe Builders was simply that they weren’t really building entire universes. I had hoped to see something on a grander scale. However, this was only a minor issue. My other issue with the story is that, in places, the plot seemed to drag a bit and I wasn’t sure where it was heading. In the end, everything ended up in a good place, though.

Overall Thoughts

This book is all about exploring what it might be like if there were a universe of Gods all responsible for creating their own universes. It is fun and lighthearted, and somehow manages to avoid most mention of religion, which seems almost impossible in a book about this topic, but that is one of the reasons I liked it so much. If you don’t mind stretching your thinking a bit while laughing a little at the origins of the universe, then you will enjoy this book.

The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul

long dark tea-time of the soulAuthor: Douglas Adams
Genre: Modern Lighthearted Fantasy
Source: Purchased by me
Readability Rating: 3 stars
Morality Rating: PG-13
Buy it: Amazon

Target audience: People who don’t mind poking fun at religion.

The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul Book Summary (from Amazon)

Beloved, bumbling Detective Dirk Gently returns in this standalone novel from Douglas Adams, the legendary author of one of the most beloved science fiction novels of all time, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

When an explosion goes off at the passenger check-in desk at London’s Heathrow Airport, the unexplainable event is deemed an act of God. For private investigator Dirk Gently, it’s his job to find out which god would do such a strange thing. In the meantime, one of his clients is murdered and his battle with the cleaning lady over his unbelievably filthy refrigerator comes to a standoff. Is it all connected? Or is this just another stretch of coincidences in the life of off-kilter super-sleuth Dirk Gently?

What I Liked Most

This was the first series I’ve ever read where it mixed modern life with the concept of gods. It was a new idea to me, which was fun to explore.

What I Liked Least

Some of the plot lines seemed needlessly complicated. I remember them running around a lot and wondering why they had to be in such a rush all the time.

Overall Thoughts

If you are a fan of the Douglas Adams style of writing and tongue-in-cheek humor, then you will love this story.

The Lost Gate

the lost gateAuthor: Orson Scott Card
Genre: Modern Lighthearted Fantasy
Source: Purchased by me
Readability Rating: 3 stars
Morality Rating: PG-13
Buy it: Amazon

Target audience: Someone just getting into the paranormal genre.

The Lost Gate Book Summary (from Amazon)

Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different, and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.

He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins, and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.

There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow. There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English — but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny’s cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see.

Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny as well. And that will lead to disaster for the North family.

What I Liked Most

I really like the concepts presented in this story. The North family are descendants of viking gods, who are able to make paranormal events and creations. Danny can’t do anything, he thinks, but when he learns he can open up travel portal “gates,” everything changes. I found the story fascinating from first to last.

What I Liked Least

I didn’t like how mundane the book was in spots. There is a while where Danny runs around with some human friends and goes to regular school, which bored me. I also was sad that the book ended on such a large cliffhanger.

Overall Thoughts

Now that the second book in the series is out, it would be a good time to read this one. The first book ends on a large cliffhanger, so having the second handy to read right away is helpful.

Other Science Fiction/Fantasy You May Like

21 Sci-Fi Books Chosen by Book Bloggers

Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Rescue Company

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Interview with Author Austin Dragon

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austin dragon authorWell, after reviewing Rise of the Leviathan yesterday, today, I have something even more exciting. I was able to interview author Austin Dragon, who from all accounts appears to be incredibly fascinating and inspiring.

Read my interview with him below (I am bolded):

Is Dragon really your last name or is it a pen name?

Haha. Yes, it’s my real name. In my first career in the corporate world for twenty years, everyone said how cool my name is and that I should get better use out of it. Now I am.

Who are the authors (books, songs) you turn most to for inspiration?

I would have to go back to childhood with the old Hardy Boys detective series as an early favorite. Later it was Sherlock Holmes. Basically, I was reading and watching on TV lots of mysteries that spurred by interest in writing. As for my love of science fiction, that all came from the television: The Outer Limits , Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, etc.

How did your political and military past influence your view of the future?

One day I should write a non-fiction book about my political journey. From the standpoint of the book it is taking an unemotional view of our politics and projecting it out into the future. For example, one hundred years ago in America virtually all Blacks were Republicans, now they’ll virtually all Democrats. Such societal transformations are fascinating. How did we get from there to here? In the After Eden Series, there is no liberal or conservative as we know the terms today because all the arguments of today are “settled.” All drugs and prostitution is legal, any kind of marriage is legal, the US Constitution has been abolished and replaced, there is no such thing as privacy when it comes to the government, government virtually controls every sector of the economy, and people are so dependent on and connected to their technological gadgets (including smart-cars, smart-houses, etc.) they are a kind of quasi-cyborg.

I loved that I was able to serve in the military; that’s the good part, but many of the things that I saw in terms of management, efficiency, and basic commonsense began my deep skepticism of government’s overall role in providing for the needs of the people. This was only reinforced a hundred-fold when I was in the trenches of politics myself. Like every other part of society we have people who are great, good, mediocre, foolish and downright bad. This is another subtext of the series. The government can do anything and the people are sheep—forget eighty years in the future, that’s how it is now.

Do you see the After Eden series as more of an inevitable reality, or more of a “fiction” universe?

Sadly, as I touched on already, most of it is inevitable. Despite the happy-talk from some futurists, the greater man’s technological advancement, the “lesser” he becomes as a human—the culture naturally goes in the opposite direction. Technological advancement and cultural advancement are two separate things, but we keep linking them together. People have to fight to be good. So what if every person has every basic need fulfilled by their technology, then what? What does the person do then? Often they make the trivial important and the important invisible. In the series, that has horrific consequences.

Do you believe that fiction has the power to help make real changes in the world?

I do. If done well and enough people read it or see it on the screen, people can be inspired to do amazing things and make the world better.

Who are your favorite characters in the series? Did you find yourself falling in love with characters you never meant to like?

In book one, the Amish girl Kristiana steals the show. Other favorites are “General” Moses, M, Logan, Edison Blair and Pagan Paul. In book two, Shoshana, Father Marcos, Sister Cyclops and the Betty Boop Twins, Gideon, Mr. Haggard, and Goli, the tek-lord.

Each book will have its own set of characters that will be favorites. The story is World War Three; we are just getting the back-story on characters and events on how it came about and who were its heroes.

Did you spend a lot of time researching science and technology trends before writing the After Eden series, or did you rely on your gut instinct of current trends?

It was a combination of both. I’ve always followed science and tech trends. Also, I’ve been very good at predicting trends myself in terms of science and the culture.

How did your religious and political views influence the telling of this story?

It does and it doesn’t. I have almost been conservative religiously. Politically, I went from being liberal to conservative. Currently, I’m not very pleased with my fellow human as problems go on and on, year after year, decade after decade without solution and there is absolutely no reason for that at all—other than politics and laziness.

However, the series is beyond me. We’re dealing with societal, national and global trends. Liberal, conservative, libertarian, socialist, etc. will not be the same in eighty years anymore than they were eighty years ago. The only personal experience that I’ve allowed into the series is that things are not always black and white, and, more often, they are much more complicated and nuanced than some would have us believe. Not everything fits in the square box. It may need to be put in the funny-looking, mashed up, trapezoidal container thing in the corner.

When you’re not writing, you do ___

Currently, train for my marathon, read, network with our writers and artists, grow my business, bike and I love the beach!

When did you first realize you wanted to become an author?

I was born a writer but then life happened. Twenty years later and now I wonder how I could have managed not to be doing this all along. I was supposed to write one book as part of my yearly “bucket list.” Now, I’m in the midst of one seven-book science fiction series and already have the next in mind, along with a few other genres of books.

And for something completely off-topic: What is your favorite food to eat? Movie to watch?

Favorite food is Italian, though with my training I don’t eat the amounts I used to. I love all kind of movies. The last best one I saw was the latest Captain America and I can’t wait until Godzilla (please make up for that garbage one from 1998) and X Men: Days of Future Past. On TV, I’m looking forward to 24 and can’t wait until The Walking Dead returns.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Austin! As I suspected, we like many of the same things. 🙂 Sci-fi lovers/writers have to stick together.

About Austin Dragon

Austin Dragon has pretty much done everything. He’s been in politics, the military, been a corporate recruiter, taught English, lived in Paris, and now, has written a series of excellent sci-fi books. You can learn more about Austin on his website After Eden Books. 

More Author Interviews

Christopher J. Yates

AC Birdsong

Ira Mark Egdall

Lloyd Blake

Updated: Review: Brain Jack by Brian Falkner

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Book: Brain Jack

Update: I received this letter from the author of Brainjack:

Hi Brenda

Thanks for featuring me on your Daily Mayo blog, and sorry that you got bored in Brainjack.

As they say, all publicity is good publicity as long as they spell your name right…

So I wonder if you would mind spelling my name right. 🙂

It’s Falkner not Faulkner.

Many thanks!

Sorry Brian! I have made the necessary changes. And BTW, I wouldn’t say I was bored reading the story, just surprised at the ending.

Author: Brian Falkner
Year Published: 2011
Genre: YA/Adult
Overall Rating: 3 stars
Target Audience: Teen boys
Romance/Sex: Pretty much none at all.
Setting: All over the world, but mostly in Las Vegas and Silicone Valley
Characters: Sam Wilson, Vienna his love interest, and some other hacker types
Plot: In the near future, Las Vegas is attacked by a nuclear bomb, wiping out the city. Elsewhere in the world, nano technology allow computer users to operate their computers without keyboards and mice. Teen hacker Sam Wilson spends his time trying to break into secure government systems. When he goes too far and hacks into the White House, he is recruited to become part of the Cyber Defense Division of Homeland Security. Once there, he discovers that there is more to nano technology than people at first thought, and it may pose a danger to the entire world.
Thoughts: I liked the start of the book. I always like a good hacker story. While this one made it a little too exciting and interesting, Falkner used enough appropriate technology to make it seem somewhat plausible, even if he made it sound like real warfare, other than just typing code fragments. However, as the book came to a close, it started going off the deep end. Somehow, the nano technology became semi-sentient, and started to take over the world. I thought that was lame. The ending kind of let me down too. But on the whole, it was fairly interesting.

Book Review and Giveaway: Seeds of Transition (Science Fiction)

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This book is part of the Virtual Book Cafe tour for Seeds of Transition. I received a copy of Seeds of Transition free in exchange for an honest review. Enter the giveaway here!

Book: Seeds Of Transition

Series: The Genesis Project

Release Date: June 7, 2013

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: KY, LLC. d/b/a Books, Authors And Artists

Morality Rating: PG-13

Readability Rating: 3 stars

Target Audience: Adult science fiction and utopia fans

Buy it: Amazon

 Synopsis

As the world’s population approaches 10 billion people, severe weather extremes diminish crop and livestock production, driving the demand for and price of food to new heights. The American government, as well as other powerful organizations, turns to the world of academia in search of gifted, albeit unlikely heroes.

Dr. Jarod Farra is one of those unlikely heroes. An assistant professor of agriculture at Cornell University, Farra quickly finds himself at the forefront of both his longstanding dreams, and perhaps, some of his worst fears. Dread of the developing global food shortage and ever-worsening weather extremes cause cultural turmoil, political turbulence, population shifts, and economic havoc. Jarod and a range of characters come together to perform an experiment that will change the world, and provide new hope for generations to come with the most radical agricultural undertaking that society has ever seen.

About The Author

Carolyn Holland grew up during the 70’s in the coastal wetlands of North AuthorPhoto-150x150-600dpi-29.May.13Carolina in a small, rural fishing village. She married right after high school and started her family, in the same community where she grew up. Though life took her to other places, she lived in the Appalachians for a time and later in Alabama, she found herself drawn back to her roots in Coastal North Carolina. With her three children grown now, she resides there still with her husband James Holland, a retired US Marine.

Carolyn has been a writer for many years. In 2009 she began work as a freelance writer and ghost writer and worked on many works in the science fiction genre. Her own personal interest in agriculture, the environment and our effect upon it prompted a lot of study into the effect of weather patterns brought on by climate change on our food and water supply.

In 2012, Carolyn was invited by publishers; Books, Authors and Artists, to write and publish the trilogy titled The Genesis Project. The first book in that series is titled, Seeds of Transition.

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Quick Review

I liked the idea behind this book, but I found the way it got there a little dry.

Extended Review

Plot: The plot centers around the near future when the world’s population reaches its all-time high. People cannot get enough food around the world, and extreme weather makes feeding the masses even harder. Jarod was a child during one of the worst disasters, but was able to escape to America. Now an adult, he has vowed to end world hunger and make the world a better place. I appreciated the somewhat more realistic aspect of the plot, versus many popular science fiction books that you see. However, in spots, the book read more like a political commentary than a fiction novel.

Characters: I found it a little difficult to keep up with the characters. In several spots, the book jumped from decade to decade, which made it hard to me to figure out which character was what age at the time. There was not a whole lot of dialogue, which made it harder to learn who the characters were.

Setting: Most of the book takes place around 2037, which is the near future. In some spots, the universe seemed identical to ours, and in others, far advanced or far behind. I didn’t know what to think of the setting, but I thought the attempt to make the book somewhat futuristic while maintaining the feel of life today was done fairly well.

Writing: When I first started the book, I was pleased with the writing. It was vivid, descriptive, and told a lot of the story. However, as I continued reading, the book never seemed to start. It always felt like it was in the introductory phase of the story. I think I was to around 18-20 percent finished on my Kindle before I saw any dialogue. That made the book seem more like a history textbook than a novel to me.

Overall Thoughts

This is an innovative attempt at writing a realistic portrayal of science fiction. The writing is good, and the plot is interesting. However, I felt the execution of the story could have been a little better. Fans of realistic science fiction should enjoy this story.

Interview with Intelligenz Author Lloyd Blake

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This post is part of the Enchanted Book Promotions tour for Intelligenz. You can read my review of the book here.

intelligenz book cover lloyd blakeBook Info

Title: Intelligenz (The Dark Atlanta Series)

Author: Lloyd Blake

Genre: Science Fiction

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis

Atlanta, Georgia. Something disturbing is happening at one of America’s most successful tech companies. A girl is found dead in her home shower cubicle. A home linked to the Intelligenz corporation network of technologically advanced gated communities. This suspicious death, in a world where everything is scrutinised by the media, sets off unprecedented interest.

A young rookie journalist, Clara Flockhart, is assigned by her chief editor, Eric Nash, to investigate the strange happenings at the Intelligenz compound. An assignment that will plunge her into the unknown and lead her straight to the man whose company is being rocked by events outside of his control, Brandon Bloomfield.

At the same time, a young college dropout, Karl Jones, has his own suspicions about the recent death and the gated community that has overtaken his neighbourhood. Suspicions that will see him undertake his own exploration of the Intelligenz compound, he calls the fortress.

As the body count climbs and the nanotechnology, Intelligenz has secretly guarded, comes under scrutiny, the mysterious riddle as to what is actually happening deepens.

Is there a saboteur lurking within the corridors of the fastest growing company in America’s corporate history? Or does the darkness come from an unlikely source.

About the Author

Lloyd hails from London, UK, and has always been fascinated by the power of words and books. As a child he engrossed himself in books, his favourite author being Roald Dahl. Years later, he was reading his brothers X-men, Spiderman, and all other super hero comics. Soon after, he would try his hand at writing short stories, mostly grizzly stories dripping with horror elements.

It wasn’t until he was at university studying business and marketing, he decided to fulfil his lifelong ambition of writing a full length novel.  ‘The fight for Naturah’ was born, a science fiction fantasy epic set in a parallel universe. The idea for his second novel sprung from the technological revolution that has immersed our world – what with social media, the internet, and the proliferation of gadgets and gizmos to aid our lives. The dark Atlanta series: Intelligenz, is the first book of an intended series and is a science fiction psychological thriller that examines the perils of our fascination with technology. The first book is published through shiftingpaperpublishing.

Lloyd will soon start work on the next installment in the series.

www.lloydblake.com

www.twitter.com/lloydblake21

 My Interview with Lloyd Blake

What inspired you to write a story about the events that transpire in Intelligenz?

I was inspired by the world around me. The technological revolution if you can call it that which seems to be overtaking our world. What with the internet, mobile communications, and other gizmos. Huge industries that were once seen as goliaths are having to adapt to a fast changing world, you just have to look at the book, music and film industries and on a micro level we as individuals and as communities are having to adapt also.

 

You’ve published several short stories before starting the Intelligenz series. What would you say the biggest difference is between writing a short story and writing a full-length novel?

I wrote short stories as a teenager and at school. The obvious difference is they are quicker to write and they were more or less like screenplays with a lot of dialogue. A full length novel requires you to go deeper into the characters that are created. You almost have to become your character, live and breathe their emotions in a full length novel.

 

Who was your favorite character to write in Intelligenz? Did you find yourself unexpectedly bonding with a character that you never intended to bond with?

It’s really hard to pick out a main character because I liked writing for each of them for different reasons. I liked putting myself in Karl’s mindset – the precocious assertive teen who instinctively knows something is up at Intelligenz and wants to uncover the truth. I also enjoyed writing for Hector McBride – although he has an evil streak in him I liked that he was a little misunderstood by those around him.

 

Do you believe that the dark events that happen in this series could potentially occur in our own world?

When writing Intelligenz I tried to make the world I was creating as believable as possible. Could these events actually happen? I’m not so sure on that one, but could a situation occur where a company loses control of a situation it thought it had all the answers to? Yes. I believe it could. Could a new type of technology be abused and used to harm people? I believe the answer is yes. One thing I do believe will happen in our own world and which the book examines, is in our not too distant future companies will run our existence, our lives. For example every gadget in your home could run on the Apple, Microsoft or Amazon network and everything thing you do would be monitored by these corporations.

 

Are you a fan of the modern technologies of the day, or do you see them as more of a “necessary evil?”

I see these modern technologies as the natural progression of humanity. We are always looking to make things easier for ourselves. Though I do believe some technologies do need to be thought through properly. Sometimes I think someone needs to say stop hold on a minute is this right, should we be doing this right now. A bit of that feeling is probably in the book also.

 

How did your childhood love of superhero comics and the dark humor of Roald Dahl influence the Intelligenz novel?

I never really analyzed that until this question but looking at it I would say they have had an influence on my writing. Roald Dahl wrote fantastic children’s books but there was always an element of fear and darkness in his writing which I have come to use in my writing. With the comics, all the superheroes have amazing powers of some kind. Intelligenz does draw on the idea that we as humans have powers that haven’t been discovered. I don’t want to give too much away about the book though.

 

What is your current favorite author who inspires you? Do you have a particular style of writing that you try to emulate in your own writing?

Stieg Larsson inspired me and reading Dan Brown’s novels was probably the catalyst that got me to actually create a novel. I just liked the immediacy of Dan Brown’s prose and how he took you on a journey of discovery. You could say that feeling of something happening in the here and now and it being the most important thing to uncover in the world at that moment has been inspired by reading Brown’s books and shows a little in Intelligenz.

 

Intelligenz has a dark theme. Do you, like Ronald Dahl, believe that a scary element is a necessity to make a good story?

No I don’t believe a scary element is a necessity to make a good story. But there has to be points of contention, something your characters have to overcome. That could happen in a romance, comedy, or historical fiction novel.

 

What overall thought or feeling do you hope to leave with readers of the Intelligenz story? 

There are so many things people could extract from Intelligenz. I as the writer feel if I start saying all the things I want a reader to take from it I’d be forcing them into a certain direction which is not what I want. However, one thought comes to mind and it is the one that corporations have a social responsibility to communities they serve and that one person’s opinion or that of a community should be seen as just as important as a huge company. Sometimes the thoughts and opinions of those who have little or no power are submerged and lost when they are entirely valid.

 Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Lloyd!

 

Book Review: World War Z (science fiction)

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wwz book cover

Book: World War Z

Author: Max Brooks

Genre: Science Fiction (I guess. It’s a zombie book, but written like a historical biography)

Morality Rating: R

Readability Rating: 5 stars

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time.World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Quick Review

This book is so realistic and awesome, I half expected to hear about real zombie outbreaks the next day on the news.

Extended Review

Plot: This book is constructed like interviews with war veterans. Basically, Brooks structured the book like the zombie outbreak was real and had actually happened in the past. So there wasn’t really a “plot” per se, but the overall effect was awesome and made the universe seem quite realistic.

Characters: There were a lot of characters telling their experiences with the zombie outbreaks- both before they knew what it was and after. I liked how Brooks was able to make each person sound unique and like they came from different backgrounds.

Setting: The setting kind of confused me. I wasn’t sure what the year was supposed to be. For example, one guy interviewed talked about how he was a teen when the outbreaks started. In the interview he sounded like he was at least 30, which would indicate that a lot of time had passed. However, some of the characters seemed like they were part of WWII or something, which means that the after zombie time was now, which means the zombie outbreak happened in the past? I’m not sure.

Writing: I loved every bit of the writing in this book. Even though the stories were interviews, they seemed real and quite descriptive. I was impressed.

Overall Thoughts

Even if you don’t like zombie books, this is a book that you should read. It is pretty much awesome, and quite the trailblazing book. I’m a fan. I will definitely follow all of any other books that Max Brooks chooses to write! I’m not surprised they made a movie of his book.

Review: Rising Leviathan by Austin Dragon (sci-fi)

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rising leviathan book coverBook: Rising Leviathan, book 3 in the After Eden series

Author: Austin Dragon

Genre: Science Fiction

Source: Free from author

Readability Rating: 4 stars

Morality Rating: PG-13

Target Audience: People with military backgrounds or political interest

Buy it: Amazon

About the Author (from his website)

Austin Dragon is a native New Yorker, but has called Los Angeles, California home for the last twenty years. Words to describe him, in no particular order: U.S. Army; English teacher; one-time resident of Paris; political junkie; movie buff; campaign manager and staffer of presidential and gubernatorial campaigns; Fortune 500 corporate recruiter; renaissance man; dreamer.

Rising Leviathan Book Summery (from Amazon)

The year is 2096–just three years until the 22nd century!

A Russian summit in Saint Petersburg with all the superpowers: America, the Islamic Caliphate, the Chinese-Indian Alliance. The Russian President inexplicably…dies. Or was it murder? One moment world peace was in sight, now world war seems unstoppable. Will the Russian Bloc (Russian and Eastern Europe) erupt in civil war? Or will it be a global war–or both?

As one leader falls, a deadly power rises. New enemies. New conspiracies. New dangers.

The march to the explosion of World War III continues–the first global war of the Tek Age, a hell we have never seen before.

Rising Leviathan is book three of the epic After Eden series–a dramatic mix of politics, religion, technology, and intrigue set eighty years in the future.

Quick Review

Some readers do not like this series based on the religious portrayals in the story, as well as a lot of readers who dislike the somewhat conservative leanings of many of the characters, but that didn’t bother me. Coming from a conservative, military background myself (did you know I was once in Civil Air Patrol, the auxiliary of the Air Force?), I understand how this image of the future came about ( update from the author: He says he was politically liberal at the time of his military service). Everything is exaggerated of course, but this is meant to be fiction, as you can easily tell by the inclusion of things like demons, witches, and vampires (although no-one is as typically portrayed in other stories; Twilight, it is not). Anyone with a passing interest in politics, religion, and the possible near-ish future should enjoy reading this book. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the Orson Scott Card book, Empire.

Extended Review

Plot: It was a little difficult to come into this story on the third book. I wasn’t familiar with the characters or original plot, but basically, it appears that the world is going to hell quickly, and religious groups have become political and started to take over the world (nothing new there). The main groups are a hybrid of China and India (which calls themselves the CHIN), Mormons, Russia, Wiccan women, and Islamic peoples. I’m not sure what happens to all the other people groups over the next 80 years, but I can go with it. I found the plot exciting and I wanted to continue to read to see the resolution, which is the mark of a well-written book in my eyes.

Characters: These characters are what I have come to expect from the Science Fiction genre as it exists today (but I am excited for women who are starting to challenge that idea, like author Sara Mason). The men are all sort of rough and tumble or oily scum bags, and the women are harsh, ice queens who act more like men than women. Although filled with somewhat typical characters, I found them engaging enough to want to know the resolution of their story lines.

Setting: This story is set only about 80 years into the future, which I thought was a little too near, simply because I can’t imagine all of that happening in 80 years. In my experience, change is much slower than that. After all, it is possible that some of us could very well be alive in 80 years. I bet my kids will be at least. I think for this dramatic of a political change, it would take at least 4 generations. But that is nit-picking. I liked how the universe was somewhat like what we have today, but enough different to make it seem like it really could be the future.

Writing: The writing for this book is done in present tense, which is unusual for a science fiction book, but it wasn’t noticeable after a while. I have read some truly deplorable science fiction writing, and this was much better than that, and better even than some books published by large sci-fi publishers. I was pleased with the writing style and felt it fit with the universe. It was a lot of action scenes with little internal thoughts or descriptions.

Overall Thoughts

I think any fans of military-style fiction would enjoy reading this book. I liked it, and I wouldn’t even consider myself a huge political or military fan. It is a solid piece of somewhat realistic science fiction for events that could happen in the near future. However, if you are looking for science fiction on the level of Dune, this is not it.

Buy the Books:
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3

More Sci-Fi Books

Renegades

Intelligenz

Seeds of Transition 

World War Z

 

Review: The Rebel Series and $25 Giveaway to Amazon!

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Today, I am the last stop in the tour for the Rebel series by Lance Erlick. I was interested in this story, because I love stories of dystopia, science affiliatefiction, and alternate realities. In this case, the universe is female-dominated and men are sort of seen as pesky animals? Although I’m not sure how realistic the universe is, I enjoyed reading a different prospective. One does get tired of the Game of Thrones style of treating women.
My review is next, then you can read the synopsis of each book under that and enter the giveaway below!

The Rebel Within Review

The Rebel Within follows the adventures of 16 year-old Annabelle in a society where men are almost extinct. Annabelle works to navigate the world of growing up in a politically and military-dominated society where she doesn’t agree with mainstream politics.
I found the writing and plot in The Rebel Within interesting, but my favorite thing about this story was imagining if a female-dominated sodiety really would be like described in the book. In the book, the women basically act like men (which isn’t difficult in this case since it was written by a man). Every now and then, I forgot that they were supposed to all be women. In reality, I don’t know if a female-driven society would be man like or if it would be even more prissy, for lack of a better word. In this universe, I suppose since there was a recent war it might promote tougher women, but in a society lacking entirely in men, I think it might play out differently.
My favorite part of this book was the relationship between Annabelle and her adopted sister Jamie. Annabelle protects her younger sister and is always looking out for her.
My least favorite part about The Rebel Within was the pacing. The entire book felt like it was a set-up for the rest of the series- which while fine, felt a little boring in spots.
Overall, The Rebel Within is a solid 3 star book- enjoyable and entertaining to read. Fans of dystopian and female-driven books should enjoy reading this series.
Tour Page & Schedule
perf5.500x8.500.inddTHE REBEL WITHIN
Action packed first book in Rebel series.
Annabelle (16) faces adult dilemmas and a fight for her life. Orphaned at age three when the military took her parents, she’s a tomboy who rebels against her conformist society, which pushes her to become a cop intern to catch escaped boys. Then she’s forced to choose between joining the elite military that took her parents or being torn from her beloved sister and adoptive mom.
The Rebel Within turns our male dominated world upside down. After the Second American Civil War, the Federal Union pursues a utopian society without men by rounding up the remaining males, and enforcing Harmony. Central to their plan is EggFusion Fertilization and Female Mechanized Warriors.
In this world, Annabelle faces a cop intern boss who hates her, a military commander who demands too much, and an amazon bully who won’t leave her alone. She meets a handsome boy who escapes prison. As she tries to survive rigorous military training and hunt for her imprisoned birth mother, Annabelle must choose between capturing the boy and helping him escape, while she wrestles with the consequences of her actions.

Amazon

THE REBEL TRAP

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Voices in 16-year-old Annabelle’s head aren’t God or signs she’s going mad—yet.
The Rebel Trap sweeps readers into a haunting world with no privacy. Written as a standalone story, it also follows Annabelle’s adventures from The Rebel Within.
Auditory implants and contact cams allow her military commander from the unit that took her parents to watch her 24-7. A boy she helped to escape hacks her implants to plead for her help. She’s forced to be a cop and military spy investigating her police captain as well as capturing escaped boys. Observed constantly, Annabelle has to dance between helping the escaped boy she likes free his brother from a heavily guarded geek institute, her job to capture him, and the feud between her military commander and the police chief she’s expected to spy on.
A pawn in a bigger game, no one believes she can handle this, which may be her greatest asset.

Amazon

perf5.500x8.500.inddREBELS DIVIDED
Rebels Divided is a fun thrill ride written as a standalone action story, but also part of the Rebel series, three years later.
The first time Geo sees Annabelle, they meet as enemies and she doesn’t kill him. That’s worth something. Geo (19) is a rugged frontiersman who hungers to see more of the world than the impoverished Outland glen where he and his pa hide from local Rangers. Annabelle (19) is a tough yet fragile tomboy who lost her parents at age three to the Mech Warriors. Then she’s forced to become a Mech.
After the Second American Civil War, the nation divides into two ‘utopias’. The Federal Union enforces Harmony and an all-female society protected by Mechanized Warriors. The Outland promotes rugged individualism, but Thane Edwards holds a monopoly of power with his Rangers. The Union’s Tenn-tucky governor and the Outland warlord conclude a secret deal, pledging Annabelle to the warlord to provide heirs, and putting a bounty on Geo and his pa.
Hunted by military from both sides, Geo and Annabelle struggle to overcome mutual distrust in order to work together to rescue her sister and gain justice for the murder of his father.

Amazon

About the Author
Lance ErlickLance Erlick grew up in various parts of the United States and Europe. He took to stories as his anchor and was inspired by his father’s engineering work on cutting-edge aerospace projects to look to the future. He studied creative writing at Northwestern University and University of Iowa.
He writes science fiction, dystopian and young adult stories and likes to explore the future implications of social and technological trends. He is the author of The Rebel Within, The Rebel Trap, and Rebels Divided, three books in the Rebel series. In those stories, he flips traditional exploitation to explore the effects of a world that discriminates against males and the consequences of following conscience for those coming of age. Erlick lives in the Chicago area with his family.
Find learn more about the author and his stories visit his website at http://www.LanceErlick.com.

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Giveaway:

(2) $25 Amazon Gift Cards (INT)

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Review: The Blind Assassin (Time Magazine’s Best 100 Modern Novels)

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Book: The Blind Assassin: A Novel
Author: Margaret Atwood
Year Published: 2000
Genre: Drama/mystery
Overall Rating: 3 stars
Target Audience: Adults
Romance: Some fictional, some real; pg-13 rated
Setting: The 1940s, present day, science fiction future
Characters: Richard Griffen and Iris Chase mostly
Plot Summary: The story starts with several members of a family dying around WWII. There is also a sub-story of science fiction, written by some of the characters in the realistic story. There is a third story about Iris as an adult looking back on her life. As you read the book, you discover how all of the stories are actually related to one another.
Thoughts: I wanted to like this book a lot. It has interesting elements, such as very realistic dialogue for a story about the past written in modern times. It has a science fiction story that is also very period accurate. It has a mysterious storyline! But, the story bogged down for me. I don’t know if I just don’t like adult fiction anymore or what, but I got bored of the story about half way through. I found the autobiography of the story uninteresting and the science fiction story had no dialogue. The 1940s section of the story had no quotation marks, which although accurate for the period, I do not like. But the story was very well written and the story is unique and interesting from a literary standpoint. The reveal in the end might be a surprise, but I kind of suspected it all along.

Review: Collision the Battle for Darracia (space-fantasy)

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collision the battle for darraciaBook: Collision the Battle for Darracia (#2 in the Darracia series)

Author: Michael Phillip Cash

Source: Free from author

Genre: Space Fantasy

Readability Rating: 3.5 stars

Morality Rating: PG

Target Audience: Space fantasy lovers

Buy the Book: Amazon

Collision the Battle for Darracia Summary

The second book in the space fantasy Darracia saga, Collision follows the adventures of King V’sair, trying to hold his kingdom together alone. Stepbrother Zayden is looking for evil uncle Staf Nuen. Tulani tries to bring her two seperate worlds together. Coup leader Staf Nuen tries to make new alliances so he can take over the galexy. All of the characters are headed on a collision course that will test them to the very core of their beings.

Quick Review

Fair Warning: Collision was the first book I read in this series, and I had a hard time following this story. This series is not one you can just jump in the middle of. It took me about half the book before I knew who the characters were or what they were trying to do. So, if you want to read this series, please start with the first book!

Collision reminded me of the Dune series in a way. It sort of melds fantasy and science fiction together, but the emphasis is more on fantasy than science fiction. If you love straight science fiction, then this series is not for you, but if you like a heavy dose of fantasy with your space then you should enjoy Collision.

Extended Review

Plot: Collision stars right where Schism leaves off. The four main characters are separated at first, doing their own thing. My favorite plot lines were V’sair’s and Tulani’s. The good characters all work together to stop the evil character from taking over the world. It is a common plot, but still enjoyable to read. I was reminded a lot of the plot of many a Star Wars fan fiction novel that I have read in the past. I half expected someone to bust out a lightsaber.

Characters: I hesitate to read science fiction or fantasy books with female leads that are written by men. Often, the focus of the women is on bizarre things (like how George Martin always makes them have lesbian tendencies). However, Tulani was surprisingly decent as a character. She was neither too man-like nor too absurdly feminine, so I was quite pleased with her character. My other favorite was V’sair. He just seemed like a guy that would be fun to hang out with.

Setting: Collision is set in space and on a variety of planets. For the most part, the space setting fell into the background, but I liked that there were restrictions on space travel. At one point in the book, it discusses who could afford to travel through space. It mentioned that only the richest people could afford to travel to other planets. I think that is a much more realistic view of the future of space travel than you find in most other space-themed books.

Writing: Collision has a simple writing style that is easy to read and straightforward. The book is not written in “literary” style, so you don’t get a lot of strange description comparisons like in some books, which was refreshing in a way. The book is written in past tense, which almost feels quaint among so many books currently written in present tense.

Overall Thoughts: I liked Collision. It was a fun story. If I had read it as a teen, I would have loved it. Reading it as an adult, however, I didn’t love it. The best thing about this book is that it is an incredibly fast read. You can read this and a variety of other books without feeling like you are missing the great ones. This is the perfect light summer space fantasy book.

Who Should Read This Book

Anyone who loves space fantasy and action-driven stories.

Buy the Book

More Fantasy and Science Fiction

Renegades by Sara Mason

Intelligenz by Lloyd Blake 

World War Z by Max Brooks

Seeds of Transition by Carolyn Holland 

Review: Hitchhicker’s Guide to the Galaxy

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I’ve decided to do a series of postings based on a letter from the alphabet. A new letter for each week. This week’s letter is “A.”

Therefore I will be reviewing a book by an author who’s last name starts with “A,” Douglas Adams.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is one of the most inventive science fiction books I have ever read. It is a comedy, which to me makes it even more fun. I do not like the trend of science fiction stories equaling sad and depressing stories. If I read something I want to enjoy it and feel good afterwards. The HHGTTG does exactly that.

The basic story, for those of you who have not already read it (and if so, why not? Go and read it immediately), is that Arthur Dent is a normal person who has a normal life and an alien friend. His house is about to be knocked down but it doesn’t matter because the world is about to end. The rest of the story after the first couple of chapters is about Arthur and Ford Prefect traipsing around the galaxy for no apparent reason. There is also no real conflict (well, there is conflict but there is no point to it), solution or point to the story.

All of these sound like terrible things to have in a book, but they actually work really well together. The excerpts from the Guide itself are often snarky and always amusing.

All of these components add up to the sum of one of my favorite stories of all time. This book may be the only cool thing to come out of the eighties.

Review and #Giveaway: Einstein Relatively Simple by Ira Mark Egadall (non-fiction/biography)

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Cover - Einstein Relatively Simple

I received a copy of this book free for an honest review. This book is part of the Virtual Book Tour Cafe tour. 

Book: Einstein Relatively Simple: Our Universe Revealed

Author: Ira Mark Egdall (Website: iramarkegdall.com | Twitter: @IMEgdall 

Genre: Non-fiction/biography

Readability Rating: 5 stars

Buy it: Amazon (published Feb 24, 2014)

Ira Mark Egdall author bioAbout the Author

Ira Mark Egdall is also the author of the eBook Unsung Heroes of the Universe and a popular science writer for DecodedScience.com. He is a retired aerospace program manager with an undergraduate degree in physics from Northeastern University. Mark now teaches lay courses in modern physics at Lifelong Learning Institutes at Florida International University, the University of Miami, and Nova Southeastern University. He also gives entertaining talks on Einstein and time travel. When not thinking about physics, Mark spends his time playing with his grandchildren and driving his wife of 45 years crazy.

Synopsis

Einstein Relatively Simple brings together for the first time an exceptionally clear explanation of both special and general relativity. It is for people who always wanted to understand Einstein’s ideas but never thought it possible.

Told with humor, enthusiasm, and rare clarity, this entertaining book reveals how a former high school drop-out revolutionized our concepts of space and time. From E=mc2 and everyday time travel to black holes and the big bang, the book takes us all, regardless of any scientific background, on a mindboggling journey through the depths of Einstein’s universe.

Along the way, we track Einstein through the perils and triumphs of his life — follow his thinking,
his logic, and his insights — and chronicle the audacity, imagination, and sheer genius of the man
recognized as the greatest scientist of the modern era.

Quick Review

Part biography, part scientific textbook- Einstein Relatively Simple gives us a clear picture of Einstein’s  theories, who he was as a person, and what he has done for the field of science.

Extended Review

Contents: This book offers a look into the life of Einstein as well as his scientific theories. Egadall uses clear language and breaks up the ideas into bite-sized pieces that are easy to take in. If you need a break after reading about a particularly confusing scientific theory, you can do that easily with how the book is structured.

Writing: The writing in this book is simple, just like the title promises. Still, I found it difficult to follow some of the theories. The book uses simple language and includes helpful diagrams, but if you don’t already know something about this form of math and science, the diagrams may not be all that helpful. I liked the other images included in the story illustrating some of the points in real life, like the fishnet spread over a potato to explain Spacetime Curvature (which apparently was invented by mathmatician Johann Gauss).

Overall Thoughts

This book does an excellent job of explaining the basic points about many of today’s modern math, physics, and time theories. It is quite interesting that one person was so influential in changing how the world sees itself and how long these theories have remained the forefront in the field of math.

Anyone interested in math and science will enjoy this book.

Buy it: Amazon (published Feb 24, 2014)

Giveaway Details

One or two hard copies, a few or more softbacks all signed by the author.

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway here!

The Truth Within The Fiction (Guest Post and Giveaway by Author Carolyn Holland)

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This post is part of the Virtual Book Cafe tour for Seeds of Transition. Read my review for Seeds of Transition here. Enter the giveaway here.

About Carolyn Holland

Carolyn Holland grew up during the 70’s in the coastal wetlands of North AuthorPhoto-150x150-600dpi-29.May.13Carolina in a small, rural fishing village. She married right after high school and started her family, in the same community where she grew up. Though life took her to other places, she lived in the Appalachians for a time and later in Alabama, she found herself drawn back to her roots in Coastal North Carolina. With her three children grown now, she resides there still with her husband James Holland, a retired US Marine.

Carolyn has been a writer for many years. In 2009 she began work as a freelance writer and ghost writer and worked on many works in the science fiction genre. Her own personal interest in agriculture, the environment and our effect upon it prompted a lot of study into the effect of weather patterns brought on by climate change on our food and water supply.

In 2012, Carolyn was invited by publishers; Books, Authors and Artists, to write and publish the trilogy titled The Genesis Project. The first book in that series is titled, Seeds of Transition.

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Today, the publishing industry has evolved, is still evolving, and authors have opportunities like never before in the world of writing. It’s a great day to be an aspiring author and I must say that it is likewise a great day to be a reader, there is just simply way more for the bookworm to choose from. These are exciting times for all of us. Although it is much easier to publish your work in today’s world, writing and publishing still present challenges to the new author.

When we started writing Seeds of Transition I just did not have any idea of how to go about it.   After all, I had never published any of my writings. Writing had been a hobby, a source of entertainment for myself and the family members who would read my stories and nothing more.

I have also always had a strong interest in the natural world, our effect upon it and our ever changing climate. One simply cannot even begin to think about these things without looking at agriculture, and for me, it didn’t take a lot of study to figure out that as a people, we would have to change our way of doing things if we were to prevent disastrous repercussions over the next few decades as our population approaches ten million.

Seeds of Transition was born out of a conversation between myself and the co-author, Kef Hollenbach. We were talking about the future of food and energy and the impact that extreme weather is currently having on us. These were issues that interested us both, and we found that collectively, we had already done a lot of research on these topics; our story began to take shape. Our excitement began to build as we realized that there were no fiction works out there that were similar to our story.

The biggest challenge in writing the first book, Seeds of Transition was getting it together, after all, we were writing a novel about some of the greatest challenges of today and our not so distant future. Threats to our food security caused by climate change and population stress are very real issues, and required a tremendous amount of research. The contribution of the co-author, Kef Hollenbach was invaluable, as he tirelessly scourged through tons of scientific data that not only validated the concepts we were using in the story, but provided insight into what our world will look like by the year 2057, the setting for the story. As we delved deeper and deeper into the research, and I set about the task of writing about this future of ours, it became clear that not only were we writing an entertaining work of fiction, but we had a message to share.

About Seeds of Transition (Genesis Project Book 1)

Release Date: Jun 7, 2013

Genres: Science Fiction

Published by internet marketing KY, LLC. d/b/a Books, Authors And Artists

Buy it: Amazon

 

Seeds of Transition engulfs the reader with riveting adventure, emotional thrills, and conflict from beginning to end.

As the world’s population approaches 10 billion people, severe weather extremes diminish crop and livestock production, driving the demand for and price of food to new heights. The American government, as well as other powerful organizations, turns to the world of academia in search of gifted, albeit unlikely heroes.

Dr. Jarod Farra is one of those unlikely heroes. An assistant professor of agriculture at Cornell University, Farra quickly finds himself at the forefront of both his longstanding dreams, and perhaps, some of his worst fears. Dread of the developing global food shortage and ever-worsening weather extremes cause cultural turmoil, political turbulence, population shifts, and economic havoc. Jarod and a range of characters come together to perform an experiment that will change the world, and provide new hope for generations to come with the most radical agricultural undertaking that society has ever seen.

 

Have any questions for Carolyn? Leave them below!

Favorite Book Genre and Favorite Children’s Books: Book Blogger Hop and FF Friday

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I’m linking up with the Book Blogger Hop and FF Friday at Coffee Addicted Writer, Parajunkee’s View, and Alison Can Read. 

Book Blogger Hop

 

Book Blogger Hop Question:

What is your favorite genre? List two of your favorite books in that genre.

I will read any genre, but the genre that is my absolute favorite is science fiction. But not just any science fiction- I want it to be a little creepy. I would love any book that mixed ghost stories with science fiction. My favorite science fiction book is probably Ender’s Game, but another one that I like really well is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. You can see more of my favorite sci-fi books here. 

 

 FF Friday Question:

What were some of your favorite picture books as a kid? If you have kids, what are your favorites to read to them?

Actually, I didn’t like picture books so much as a child. My mom read us some pretty heavy literature when we were kids, including Dr. Dolittle, this version of Robin Hood, The Little House Books, and of all things, James Herriot’s books.

However, we did get some classic picture books in there. Favorites included: Pat the Bunny, Goodnight Moon, I Am A Bunny, and one that has stuck with me for years, Serina’s First Flight. That was a story about a little girl tooth fairy that is hard to find these days. I was able to score a copy on Ebay, and I still love it. The pictures are just beautiful. The story has that magical tone that sticks with you. I think a lot of my playtime was inspired by that book.

I also have a daughter who is 7 and a baby girl. My 7 year-old is too big for picture books now, but she likes The Underland Chronicles and the Magic Tree House series. My baby likes Pat the Bunny and anything that makes noise. She mostly listens to whatever big sister is reading at the moment.

Join the fun!

Tell me your favorite childhood stories and book genres below! Or join in the blog hop yourself!

If you want to follow Daily Mayo, Facebook is a great place right now. I plan to offer an exclusive giveaway once I reach 100 followers.

Bookish Things for Book Lovers

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Today, instead of creating a completely unique post of my own making, I’m sharing with you some of my favorite bookish things for book lovers from around the web! (and I made a fun graphic)

So, enjoy my favorites and don’t forget to link up your amazing posts at the end of the post for this week’s edition of the Lit Lovers Link Party!

Do you love books? Then you won't want to miss this edition of bookish things for book lovers with quizzes, articles, products, and more!

These are my favorite bookish things for book lovers right now:

A Quiz

This quiz from Buzzfeed Books asks us to identify classic literature based on the book’s original title (hint, most original titles are quite lame). This is what quiz dreams are made of.

A Mashup

Mashups not as popular these days, which makes me sad because I loved them. This one asking if you can tell who said it between Pepe Le Pew and Christian Grey is one of my favorites.

An Article

Last Tuesday was International Literacy Day. The wonderful ladies at Chapter Break are sharing a fun infographic about reading, books, and literacy.

A Book: The Martian

I just finished reading The Martian, and I really enjoyed it! I loved the simplicity of it and the back-to-basics kind of story structure. These days, I’m not as much into sweeping fantasy-like space environments in my science fiction- I prefer things that could actually happen. I appreciated the challenging science and math in the book (according to an interview I read with the author he actually calculated most of the math himself, which is above and beyond what most authors do, for sure!) and it even made me laugh a few times.

All in all, a fun read. If you like realistic style science fiction, definitely give it a read before the movie comes out!

A Quote

Do you love books? Then you won't want to miss this edition of bookish things for book lovers with quizzes, articles, products, and more!

This fits the theme of science fiction space exploration:

“As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.”
― Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

A Bookish Item

I was given this Game of Thrones dragon egg necklace as a perk for being a contributing writer to Project Nerd, and I love it. It’s strangely heavy, which is awesome, and it contains a USB data stick inside, which is even more awesome. Geek tech inside fashion is the best kind of accessory.

What are your favorite bookish things for book lovers right now?

Lit Lovers Link PartyRead the rainbow by adding these bright books with yellow covers to your TBR pile!

Now it is time for YOU!  All posts linked up will be shared and pinned by me! Link your neglected book and quote posts for some extra juice! We’re here every Thursday.

Remember, you can link up as many book or quote-related posts as you want! 

As always, I will feature my favorite link-up in next week’s Lit Lover’s edition. When you share your post with me, you agree to for me to use one image from your post in next week’s LL. I will also pin all link-ups to the new Lit Lover’s Pinterest board and send you weekly link-up reminders so you can keep joining in.

If you want to be added as a contributor to the Lit Lover’s group board, just send me an e-mail at Brenda at dailymayo.com with your Pinterest user name.

Follow the Lit Lovers Group Board on Pinterest!

This Weeks Lit Lover Features

Photo copyright: Jeanie from For What It's Worth Jeanie
Photo copyright: Jeanie from For What It’s Worth Jeanie

This week, Jeanie shared a post about a fun fairy-themed book party her daughter had, which is awesome. I wish I had more time to throw book-themed gigs.

Heather takes a more serious note this week by listing books that have changed her life. Go share the books that changed your life with her there!