BOOK THREAD! PART DEUX

[ShotgunSteven]

BOOK THREAD: Part One

Title: Runner
Author: William C. Dietz
Genre: Science Fiction

Comments: This book departs from Dietz's regular military sci-fi area somewhat. Here we have a tale of a Runner that is tasked with delivering a boy to another planet to be tested by the religious authority there to see if he is indeed the reincarnated teacher of that same religion. Another sect of that same religion is out to kill the boy, as they believe a child of theirs is the teacher reincarnate.

The task of delivering a person to another planet might seem simple, except that in this future, humanity has been sliding back into barbarism for some time. Humans dwell on countless planets, but the only thing tying them all together is a fleet of automated ships which are slowly but surely breaking down. Add in assassins, a "sensitive" that can commune with the dead but doesn't necessarily want to, a secret society out to restore the glory of humanity and its crumbled empire, and you have an interesting read.

Not heavy reading by any means, and I wish the author had filled out some more details, but that may come as I approach the end of the book. A good diversion for an afternoon.

 

[Turin39789]

The 42nd parallel by John Dos Passos

 

[Descartes]

The God Delusion by Dawkins
Rereading Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom
Collapse by Jared Diamond

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Title: Time For The Stars
Author: Robert A. Heinlein
Genre: Science Fiction

Comments: This book is one of those Heinlein books that falls into the "juvenile" category, that is, those books that he wrote and considered to be targeted at a young adult audience. Sad to say, but while the book was apparently categorized for those age seven and up when it was written decades ago, it is more of a high school level book now.

In this Heinlein book, mankind is living on an overpopulated Earth and a mission has been undertaken to find other habitable planets for the human race to expand to. Communication is a problem, however, as radio waves travel only at the speed of light. The discovery is then made that certain pairs of twins can engage in instantaneous mental contact, regardless of the distance between them. Many sets are recruited, and in the case of the protagonists, one remains on Earth while the other is sent off on an exploratory vessel. The problem is that due to time dilation as the ships near light speeds, the twin on the vessel ages less than their counterpart back on Earth.

That is but a bare bones synopsis, but I thoroughly enjoyed this Heinlein book. Maybe not the best one to start with if you have never read Heinlein's works before, but a definite must for his fans. The ending is something that I now realize was later ripped off for a certain science fiction comic that I will not mention, in case someone recognizes the name . I wouldn't want to spoil the ending of this book for them.

 

[pontifex]

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

I really like the Harry Potter books, I don't want to put them down.

It's amazing how different some of the things are in the movies compared to the books.

 

[Uppsala9496]

The Tyranny of the Night by Glen Cook.

I'm running out of fantasy books to read (seems I have read them all).

One of the best series I have read recently would be by Steven Erickson (Malazan Book of the Fallen series). A rather heavy read, but well worth it.

 

[Bootprint]

The Canada Chronicles, A four-year hitchhiking odyssey.
by Matthew Jackson

 

[dennilfloss]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Price_of_the_Phoenix

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Originally posted by: dennilfloss
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Price_of_the_Phoenix

I think I actually have a first run copy of that. Don't remember where I got it, though.

 

[Crono]

I'm re-reading The Shadow Within, book 2 in an allegorical fantasy series about a weak and religous young prince named Abramm Kalladorne who lives in the kingdom of Kiriath. In book 1 he finds out that he has been deceived all his life by his religion and is captured and sold into slavery by his younger brother. He is forced to become a fighter in the Games of Esurh (Esurh being a country far away and filled with death-loving idol worshippers), and though he struggles at first, he eventually becomes strong and ends up being known across the land as the White Pretender, a beacon of hope in the midst of a land filled with Shadow. Along with his close friend, Trap Meridon, Abramm leads the Dorsaddi, a people repressed by the Esurhites for centuries, against the Esurhites and prevails against them - though at the grave cost of someone he loves.

In book 2, Abramm returns home to take back the crown from his younger brother (Gillard), who has been ruling Kiriath ineptly for the past 6 months. Abramm, no longer a weak boy, but a tough and experienced leader, takes back the crown and begins a new life as king of Kiriath. He runs into numerous problems however, including a sect of religious fanatics that want to see him dead, his conniving brother who would also like to see him dead, the threat of the Esurhite army (which has been gaining in strength despite the Dorsaddi victory againsts them), as well as demon-like spirits who are using members of his own administration to plot and work against him.

All of this is set in a world where dragons and demons exist, where visions of the future can be seen, and where humans (some) can use magic either for good or evil. It's a very good series thus far, and I would highly recommend it to pretty much everyone. You don't have to understand the allegorical references to enjoy the book, either.

 

[Mermaidman]

Kyril Bonfiglioli's
"Something Nasty in the Woodshed"

3rd book in the series. Unfortunately also the last because the author died miserably shortly after.

 

[loup garou]

Hannibal Rising. It's ok...I'm concerned by how soon the movie is coming out. I hope it is better than Hannibal, the book certainly is.

 

[LeiZaK]

This one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomnia_(novel)

 

[TheAdvocate]

Let me preface my list by saying that grad (law) school burned me out on heavy reading. About 80% of my reading is for fun these days, and therefore easy on the thought provoking side:

The Last Goodbye - Reed Arvin (no doubt a comparison to Grisham - but I like his writing style and cynicism a whole lot more. This is a smarter Grisham with less courtroom drama. Also set in Atlanta, which may appeal to residents). I have a hard time putting this one down, which is always a good sign.

Cross - James Patterson - Because you can literally read this thing on the crapper since the chapters are like a page long. And it's so simple you can pick right back up where you left off without missing a beat. Patterson's a joke of a writer from a literary standpoint, but he tells a good story.

Treasure of the Khan - Cussler, Dirk & Clive. More ridiculously far fetched Indiana Jones meets Jacques Coustea adventure. A good Cussler novel is incredibly hard to put down.

A Feast for Crows - George RR Martin. I'm struggling with this one because I ran out of steam reading the last one and it has been years in between. When Martin is good though, he is one of the best storytellers alive. He writes some of the best, deepest, most conflicted characters I've ever read.

[edit] just wanted to add Shanks for Nothing - Rick Reilly You really dont even have to like golf to love this book. His humor is so sarcastic. This is the 2nd time I've read it since last summer. They should turn this one into a movie.

 

[meltdown75]

Right now I'm reading Harvey Penick's Little Red Book - his anecdotes and stories from a lifetime of golf.

 

[Turin39789]

Doh!

 

[WildHorse]

Right now I'm re-reading The Inner Reaches of Outer Space: Metaphor as Myth and as Religion by Joseph Campbell.

It's a slim little book, but full of huge ideas, so it's slow reading, even on a re-reading.

 

[dennilfloss]

Originally posted by: ShotgunSteven


I think I actually have a first run copy of that. Don't remember where I got it, though.

The sequel The Fate Of The Phoenix is good too. I've had those since the late 70s.

 

[hdeck]

just finished Darkly Dreaming Dexter (the book the showtime show is based on) and about to start the 2nd book in the series, Dearly Devoted Dexter

 

[BeauJangles]

The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins.

I just finished The Language of God by Francis Collins and found it largely unconvincing, however it does offer a decent counterweight to Dawkins who, although I agree with much he has to say about religion, can sometimes rove too far. Overall, I would say that Dawkins lays down an extremely convincing argument in a well-written book. If anyone wants to debate the merits of this book, let's do it in the God Delusion thread, not here.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: hdeck
just finished Darkly Dreaming Dexter (the book the showtime show is based on) and about to start the 2nd book in the series, Dearly Devoted Dexter

Holy hell, I never knew it was based off a book series...guess I know what I'm reading next!

 

[eplebnista]

Currently working my way through a plethora of Doc Savage books.

 

[Vertimus]

Catch 22
Slaughterhouse Five
Heart of Darkness
Invisible Man
King Lear

 

[MikeSci457DC]

Finding Darwin's God

 

[Kaido]

Scooters: Red Eyes, Whitewalls and Blue Smoke