"Old Man's War" by John Scalzi

I found this book at a library book sale and I immediately thought, "Hey, I have a friend who loves Scalzi!" So I paid $0.50 and took it home.

Summary: Humanity has colonized uncounted worlds and found that we are not alone. As the Colonial Union literally and figuratively rockets forward, they leave Earth in the dust. John Perry is 75 years old and not particularly interested in being old any longer. The Colonial Defense Force has the technology to make people young again, but they haven't shared that with Earth scientists. The only way to benefit from it is to enlist. And if you enlist, you can't go home again.

Perry says good-bye to his whole life and signs up for a second chance. He and a thousand other recruits are trained in the art of combat. People from all professions are there with the same goal of extending their lives, which means politicians, farmers, scientists, teachers are all brought together with a lifetime of experience and emotional investments that make them a particularly unique fighting force. They are the front line defending humanity from the exotic dangers of the galaxy and having nieces, nephews and grandchildren back home gives them that added incentive to do their best.

What I Liked: Something about Scalzi's writing style is perfect for me. Each sentence seems to be exactly what it needs to be to get the point across and introduce you to the next sentence. I read this book very quickly (by my standards) and I am eager for the sequel. He does a great job with foreshadowing so that there are a series of mysteries throughout the book, keeping me interested.

What I Didn't Like: The faster-than-light skip drive gives me the shivers.

Rating: Must Read.

Also Read by this Author: None.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Valor's Choice" By Tanya Huff

This book was lent to me by my aunt-in-law. She is a bibliophile and thought I might be interested in this sci-fi series. Note that I read the first two books published in one text, but this review is only the first book.

Summary: The galaxy is inhabited by a variety of intelligent species. In order to develop spaceflight and establish colonies on other worlds, all these species had to first develop their civilizations to a point where they were diplomatic, almost to a fault. The logic seemed to be that all species that were too violent would destroy themselves before they could become interplanetary. Dozens of these peaceful species found each other and formed the Confederation and thrived together for many years until the Others came along and brought war. All diplomatic attempts failed spectacularly and the Confederation quickly realized it did not have the temperament for war. And so they recruited the dumb and brutish humans to fight on their behalf.

Sergeant Kerr is the senior non-com for a platoon on recently pulled from combat duty. They are to escort some diplomats to a world where the dominant species is considering joining the Confederation. If the mission succeeds, they would be a new species with a penchant for violence that could fight the Others. If the mission fails, they might someday be enslaved by the Others and be set against the Confederation. Kerr is surprised that her combat troops are being used for what amounts to parade ground duty, and that is the first hint that something is not quite right.

What I Liked: Huff writes in a very natural style that is very easy to digest. Kerr is a great protagonist, someone worth cheering for and easy to identify with.

What I Didn't Like: I wish I had a more complete sense of life in the Confederation. This book tightly focuses on one story arc and it's hard to imagine what is beyond it.

Rating: Recommended. I will read more of this series!

Also Read by This Author: None

Reviewed by: Nick

"The Cosmic Connection" By Carl Sagan

I found this book in a used book store and bought it simply because it was written by Carl Sagan.

Summary: This is a non-fiction book in which Sagan discusses projects and theories that he is familiar with regarding our place in the universe and the possibilities of contacting other intelligent life. Surprisingly for a book written in the 1970's, it is a nice introduction to all the major ideas on the topic. For example, he discusses Dyson spheres, which still comes up today as an exciting futuristic idea. Similarly, he spends time considering the SETI program, both in terms of finding evidence of other life and ways that others might find us.

One gem is his discussion of the plaque added to Pioneer 10 as a message for any extra terrestrials that might discover it in flight. Sagan was the person who made it happen on this mission and several following missions. His insight as to the intentions and the process of designing the plaque is something you likely wont find in any other book.

He shares his experiences studying dolphins, giving insight into the difficulties in communicating with a totally different but intelligent lifeform. The most persuasive point he makes in arguing that dolphins are in fact intelligent is that they have learned several words in English, but not a single human has learned any Dolphin. It is a fascinating idea to think that maybe dolphins are as smart as we are, and the thing that distinguishes us from them is our manual dexterity and ability to use tools.

I am also extremely fond of Chapter 37, where he begins his Starfolk narrative. Chapter 37 is subtitled A Fable and recounts the history of us, from the beginning to today. It places us right here and now, in context, cleanly and clearly, with the grandeur of myth, but without the falsehoods.


What I Liked: I love the feel of Sagan's writing. He is 100% that one professor you had that was able to pack profound knowledge into a casual conversation. His books feel like a transcript from a musing lecture with the rigor of a researched publication.

What I Didn't Like: I have no complaints about Sagan.

Rating: Recommended.

Also Read by this Author: Pale Blue Dot, The Demon-Haunted World.

Reviewed by: Nick

"Shadows in Flight" By Orson Scott Card

I selected this audiobook because I have already read eight books in this universe and really love the main character, Bean. 

Summary: This is this fifth book in the Ender's Shadow series and takes place about 400 years after the events in the first four books. Bean is flying through space with three of his children at near light speed, so that they will age slower than their friends and relatives back on Earth. Without this intervention, they would surely die in their twenties as everyone else grew old. They spend much of their energy researching their peculiar and rare genetic disease which makes their minds and bodies grow at the a constant pace. Their brains are perpetually learning like an infant, becoming geniuses at toddler age, but the constant growth means they will not stop in adulthood. Bean, in his twenties, is at the edge of death as his heart struggles to supply blood to is enormous body, even at 1/10th Earth's gravity. These four adventurers discover an ancient Formic ship and explore it to learn all kinds of new things about their one-time enemy. This story spends a lot of time exploring the inner thoughts and vocal debates between the four travelers.

What I Liked: This book takes the time to answer some of the lingering questions from the other eight books and develops more background on the Formics. Card really did make an interesting and exciting world which is a treat to read about.

What I Didn't Like: This is a low tension book, compared to the earlier Ender's Shadow series, and it felt shorter (and apparently is shorter). On a different note, I should say that Orson Scott Card has expressed many political views that I personally find distasteful and disrespectful, and makes me hesitant to give him money.

Rating: I recommend the whole series from Ender's Game to this book, though this is not the most exciting of the series.

Also Read by this Author: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, The Memory of Earth, The Call of Earth, The Ships of Earth, Earthfall.

Reviewed by: Nick

"The Demon-Haunted World" by Carl Sagan

I found this book at a used bookstore and picked it up because it was written by Carl Sagan.

Summary: This is Carl Sagan's last book, and it is, rightly, a wide ranging text covering many of Sagan's biggest ideas. This is Sagan trying to make one grand argument that took a lifetime to develop. 

This is an excerpt from the book where Sagan puts
forward a clean argument for skepticism. It is presented
so neatly, I had to share it.

The argument in this book is that science education will save us and pseudo science will be our undoing. He takes the time to address each form of popular pseudo science in turn and evaluates the evidence for and against claims. He looks at alien abductions, astrology, psychics, witch trials, false memories and more. He puts each claim under scrutiny and shows how ridiculous they really are. As the claims dissolve, he replaces them with reasonable explanations and rational thought. This leads into a discussion on the value of skepticism and how it helps us get to the truth of the matter and avoid being taken for fools. He even has a chapter on The Fine Art of Baloney Detection, which gets right to the point. Throughout the book, Sagan tells stories from his life and from the history of science, each selected for its ability to highlight the point being made. Toward the end of the book he looks to the future of our civilization. We now have the machines to destroy ourselves several times over, and pseudo science gives us the reasons to do it. We need skepticism and wonder in order to survive. With these two tools of thought we can make it through.

What I Liked: I liked the way Sagan would explain each pseudo scientific idea respectfully, then explore it skeptically. Many of the ideas were more popular in the 90's, but there is still a lot of such claims today. I also liked his autobiographical parts and the stories.

What I Didn't Like: It was too short.

Rating: This is a Must Read. I consider this one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read.

Also Read by This Author: Pale Blue Dot

Published: 1997

Reviewed by: Nick




Special Note: Cosmos A Personal Voyage was hosted by Carl Sagan in 1980 and talks about a lot of the same ideas. The remake, Cosmos A Spacetime Odyssey, is currently being aired on Fox and National Geographic Channel, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson. I recommend it!

"Priests of Mars" by Graham McNeill

This book was lent to me by a good friend. He and I both really enjoy the Warhammer 40,000 universe and so he thought I would like it.

Summary: Thousands of years ago, Archmagos Telok built an Explorator fleet to cross the Halo Scar and bear witness to what lay beyond its destructive and obscuring gravity disruptions. No one has heard from him since, but recently a fragment was found. It came from a savior pod launched from Telok's flagship. Also, a message was received that he had found the "Breath of the Gods". These two discoveries were enough to inspire a down and out Archmagos Kotov to follow in Telok's path. After loosing prestige, Kotov knew he would need a big victory to come out on top, so he assembled his own fleet and set out to solve the mystery of Telok's disappearance and bring back the knowledge Telok failed to deliver.

In this book you follow a variety of people in the fleet, the mighty warriors of the Black Templar Space Marines, the mysterious geniuses of the tech-cult Adeptus Mechanicus, the towering Titan war-machines, the lowly bondsmen slaves of the engine room, and the rogue trader who found the fragment. You get see the lives of all these different people and watch them interact as they approach the Halo Scar, an enormous collection of deformed stars clustered together such that they distort gravity in violent and confusing ways. Trying to look at anything beyond the Halo Scar is nearly impossible and navigating through it is a near suicidal task, but the evidence that Telok may have done it and been rewarded is too much to ignore.

What I Liked: McNeill really lets you get to know all the characters in a way that you experience just how big of an adventure they have found themselves embarking on. It is easy to get invested in their story and become concerned that they make it through all their trials. 

What I Didn't Like: All the character development meant that the actual plot was a bit slow. I had assumed the book would include their entire journey, but about halfway through I realized there weren't enough pages to accomplish that. There are at least two sequels, which I intend to read, Lords of Mars being next. I would not be surprised if there end up being several more. 

Rating: I recommend this book for anyone who likes to imagine a futuristic universe well beyond anything we have experienced on Earth. I really do love the Warhammer 40k universe!

Also Read By This Author: None.

Reviewed By: Nick

"Homefall" by Chris Bunch

Years ago I read a sci-fi trilogy called the Last Legion. I liked it a lot and even got my best friend to read them. More recently, I was at a used book store that had the fourth book in the series. It never occurred to me that there would be a fourth book, and so was totally shocked when I saw it. This is that book. I read it immediately.

Summary: First, a little bit about the trilogy. It follows two recruits, Garvin Jaansma and Njangu Yoshitaro, of the Confederation Legion who are sent to the outer edge of the known galaxy to a quaint star system known as Cumbre. On their journey the transport is attacked and they barely survive and make it to their destination. On Cumbre it becomes clear that they were the last people to have any news from the capital Centrum. All communication and trade with the Confederation stops leaving Cumbre to fend for itself. Each book is a war, first there is a civil war on Cumbre, then aliens attack, then a neighboring star nation. Throughout the books it is just assumed the Confederation is gone and forgotten, but this fourth book finally addresses the issue. Garvin and Njangu are given command of a special expedition discover what happened to the core worlds. Their commanders had already tried sending drones to Centrum, but all were mysteriously lost. The two soldiers decide to disguise themselves as something everyone loves: a traveling circus! Collecting up performers and a big ship, the Circus Jaansma blasts off on an adventure. They jump world to world investigating the fall of the Confederation and getting tangled up in local politics. These circus/soldiers struggle to keep their identities secret as they piece together clues to answer their biggest questions.

What I Liked: It gave me a chance to revisit a favorite series of mine and see again some loved characters I had missed. It also had a lot of intrigue and spycraft which is exciting. I also found it comical when these ultra-violent soldiers were confronted with subtle politics, like a bull in a china shop.

What I Didn't Like: Bunch glossed over some stuff, making it feel like he was rushing through the book, not really savoring the story. Also, I suspect some of the scenarios would have ended differently in real life, assuming we had the technology.

Rating: I recommend the whole series for some fun military sci-fi action.

Also Read By This Author: The Last Legion, Firemask, Storm Force.

Reviewed By: Nick

"The Sands of Mars" by Arthur C. Clarke

I first saw this book at a used book store and decided to buy it based on the author alone. Arthur C. Clarke is regarded as one of the fathers of modern science fiction, inspiring generations of incredible writers. I had to get a look at his work for myself. (Note the 25¢ sticker, which suggests it was offered up at a garage sale at some point in its life.)

Summary: In this adventure we follow our unlikely hero, Martin Gibson. He is commissioned to visit the Mars colony and write a series of articles for the public back home. He is the only passenger on the maiden voyage of the spaceship Ares and becomes familiar with the skeleton crew. When he reaches Mars he befriends several colonists and explores the various outposts. Soon he stumbles upon a huge secret previously hidden from Earth and has to decide what to do with the information.

Also, Clarke describes a lot of the science behind colonization and the precautions people have to take to ensure their safety. He uses this 1952 to help people imagine the future that seemed so inevitable at the time and make them comfortable with the idea of space travel.

What I liked: Clarke treats this fictional account as a serious prediction of one possible future. It's not pie in the sky whimsy, but an attempt to imagine the world of his children and grandchildren. That makes the text feel very real and immersive. Clarke also adds interpersonal drama and some exciting discoveries to make the story more than a simple tale of interplanetary sightseeing.

What I Didn't Like: This was published in 1952, so there was a lot of guesswork regarding the Martian surface. He gets some basic facts wrong because no one knew better at the time. Also, despite the fact Clarke writes really well about machines and space, he struggles writing about human psychology in this book.

Rating: This is worth reading if you are curious about classic sci-fi.

Other Books Read By This Author: None.

Reviewed By: Nick

"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" by Douglas Adams

I received a copy of this book through a friend of a friend who was trying to sell it at a garage sale. I really enjoyed other books by Douglas Adams and so I figured I would enjoy this one too.

Summary: This story follows Richard MacDuff, a successful computer programmer working for the eccentric businessman Gordon Way. He is reunited with a former professor, Reg, who is shrouded in an aura of mystery. He also reunites with an old college friend, Dirk Gently, who has become a private investigator. Dirk is an astoundingly intelligent person, but does not conform to traditional logic paths. Instead, he sees each individual case as being entangled with the universe, leading to very peculiar detective work and problematic billing. The three find themselves on a crazy adventure to save the world.

What I Liked: Douglas Adams is very good about establishing early in the book a series of minor jokes which escalate, seemingly by coincidence, as the book progresses. Each time the joke reappears it seems like the final punchline, funnier than before. At the beginning of the book I thought it was slow, not really sure if it was worth continuing on, but by the end I was laughing out loud and having difficulty explaining the elaborate jokes to Tami. The final punchlines were so simple and delivered with Adams' dry sense of humor, if taken out of context they would appear dull. But cleverly placed in the book, each punchline was a solid hit.

What I Didn't Like: The book had a slow start. In Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy the book starts by putting the main character in mortal danger and the excitement continues from there. In this book, it takes a while for anything exciting to happen, and even longer for Richard to be pulled into it.

Rating: If you like comedy mixed with science fiction this is a must-read.

Also Read By This Author: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (and sequels)

Reviewed By: Nick