Book Reviews and Money Saving Tips

SciFi is my first love but I find to keep some perspective on reality, I need to read other books. James W. Hall writes about as other as I can imagine. This guy writes a story that can keep you up at nights. Thorn, his main character in his books I have read*, is a dyed in the wool lone wolf. He makes lone wolves seem social. Thorn gets into bizarre situations and works his way through them. This particular book has a pirate focus. Interestingly enough, it drove me to the web to see how prevalent piracy is today. It is way more prevalent than I had a clue about. I love the web, it allows quick and easy research albeit often erroneous but still I love it. I am not real fond of reviews that provide too much detail on the book. I often don’t read the slip covers because I want to be surprised. Thorn shows he is growing and possibly maturing in this outing. I strongly recommend all of the following for a great read, sometimes a bit disturbing but nevertheless a great read. He also wrote “...

Robert Adams Prolific & Entertaining I haven’t read all Adams’ books just the following. A Man called Milo Morai A Woman of the Horse Clans Bili The Axe Cat of Silvery Hue Champion of Last Battle Coming of the Horse Clans Death of a Legend Friends of the Horse Clans Horse Clan Odyssey Horses of the North Madman's Army Memories of Milo Morai Revenge of the Horse Clans Savage Mountains Swords of the Horse Clans THe Clan of the Cats The Patrimony Trumpets of War Witch Goddess He is entertaining and gives you strong characters to identify with or to hate. Another post apocalypse series, it is still worth reading. I’m a fan of animal side kicks, particularly the ones who seem brighter than their human buddies. I didn’t find the books particularly thought provoking. They didn’t inspire me to go out an make any changes in my life. They allowed me to escape to a world different than my own and leave my responsibilities and concerns behind. Everything I read doesn’t have to...

Michael Crichton’s books always make me think. I found this book very thought provoking and disturbing. His concerns about the legal ramifications of gene patents and body ownership seem valid and frankly frightening. He suggests that the legal system does not have the technical background to recognize some of the problems they are creating by allowing patents on diseases and genes. The book was not an easy read. Crichton may be brilliant but the book was extremely disjointed. He introduced an amazing number of characters and eventually put them into some type of context. I think there was an excellent message in the book but I fear he will lose readers who can’t deal with the sudden and rapid change of characters and topics. I would still suggest that you read the book. The hysteria over “frankenfood” the concerns over gene manipulation, the questions regarding cloning, all are going to be in the headlines for the years to come. He provides a lot of data in a ve...

The Pelbar Cycle is a 7 book series of a post-apocalypse society. You may feel you have been there done that but think again. Paul O. Williams’ characterizations are vivid, loveable and sometimes despicable, in short, very, very believable. First the series is a good read. If you aren’t enticed, entertained and addicted, you won’t plow through a 7 book series. The portrayal of splintered remnant society after a nuclear holocaust is sobering. The vagrancies of fate provide multiple societies, in some ways simplistically illustrating many of our current social groups. It is easy to identify with many of the characters. Individuality is frequently suppressed by most of the splintered factions but individuality is what saves the fabric of the emerging cohesive society. The poets of action are those annoying intervals who won’t bow to convention for convention’s sake. They are the lonely voice of reason in a chorus of suppression. They are the catalysts the change the w...

Take a normal, footloose 30 something, put him in a pressure cooker and see what comes out. A highly entertaining take on big business and redundantly, their lack of ethics. What happens when you find yourself compromising your basic personality? Do you give up, cave in or grow. Having spent some time, 25 years, in the tech industry, I found the premise entirely too believable. A compelling read, I recommend the story to any of you who have ever questioned the moral aspects of your career. In spite of the thought provoking content, a quick and engrossing book.

I am a fantasy/scifi fan of long, long standing. I read it for a lot of reasons and am always treated to new surprises. The philosophic aspects of this book were outstanding. A treatise on accepting responsibility for your own actions is so needed for our current society. This was published in 1989. I would make it required reading for every 9th grader. That is an age that has the capability and a mind open enough to change themselves into something better. Bando is a multiple time loser facing life in a future prison. In a cost saving measure, society’s decision to send all lifers to a prison planet seems financially feasible. The impact of a fresh start on a cast of miscreants of horrendous talent provides thought provoking insight as to how we might all change for the better. It is a good read with a very positive soul searching side effect. Don’t read scifi? Open your mind, you may find it expanded.