Monday Book Pick: Conquistador
Conquistador by S.M. Stirling
Another alternate history book by Mr. Stirling. In this novel, a WWII Veteran, shortly after the end of the war, finds a gateway to an alternate Earth, one where Western Civilization didn’t take hold. The planet is lightly populated with people and still mostly an untamed wilderness. Most of it takes place in California, and what would be California in this alternate world.
A fun and exciting read, with a nifty Sluggy Freelance reference near the end.
Monday Book Pick – Liberal Fascism
Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change by Jonah Goldberg
Recently released in paperback, the well researched book explains the history you should know.
As Dr. Pournelle pointed out:
Goldberg’s book is an anomaly: serious students of political science shouldn’t find anything here they didn’t already know. Alas, I had to say “shouldn’t”, because a very great number of people who consider themselves serious students of political science will be shocked and astonished to discover that Fascism, Progressivism, and modern American Liberalism have many intellectual roots in common. Roosevelt’s New Deal incorporated many elements of Italian Fascism, and in fact before the mid-30’s many Western statesmen had admiring things to say about Fascism and about Il Duce Mussolini who made the trains run on time and brought prosperity — or its illusion — to Italy. Goldberg documents all this as well as the Jacobin roots of both Fascism and Progressivism. The notion that human life can be improved by central planning and tinkering with the legal and economic system is the common thread to them all.
Monday Book Pick – The Peshawar Lancers
The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling
A fine example of the alternate history sub-genre of Science Fiction. The change in history occurred in 1878, when a series of asteroid strikes caused a “nuclear winter” effect. As a new Ice Age quickly over ran Europe, the British Empire relocated their seat of power to Imperial India. It’s a “rousing good adventure”, complete with Airships and large, steam powered mechanical Difference Engine type computing devices.
Memorial Day Monday Book Pick: Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose
A Memorial Day special Monday Book Pick. If you have seen the series and haven’t read the book, do so. There is a lot of detail that didn’t make it to the screen. This book follows Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, from their initial training to the unit’s deactivation in November 1945. The Normande landings on D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and more.
Monday Book Pick – Citizen of the Galaxy
Another classic by the Grandmaster of Science Fiction, Robert A. Heinlein.
Monday Book Pick – Semper Mars
Semper Mars: Book One of the Heritage Trilogy by Ian Douglas
Ian Douglas is one of the many pen names of William Keith, Jr. He has multiple best selling series under multiple pen names. He cut his teeth on SciFi back in the late 1970s, along with his late brother Andrew, working on the classic SciFi RPG, Traveller.
Monday Book Pick: Princess of Wands
Filed under: Baen Books, Martial Arts, Monday Book Pick, Science Fiction
Princess of Wands by John Ringo
A slightly different hero than the genre usally sees in this modern day horror/adventure tale by NY Times best selling author John Ringo.
Barbara Everett is a Christian soccer mom from the southeastern United States. Who just happens to an expert in martial arts and combat shooting. Which comes in handy when Lovecraftian evil comes a calling on her quiet vacation spot. This book is actually a collection of several stories, including one that takes place mostly at a SciFi/Fantasy con. A lot of industry inside baseball in that one, which makes it way cool.
Monday Book Pick: The Mote in God’s Eye
The Mote in God’s Eye by Dr. Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven
One of the classics of modern SciFi, vetted by the Grand Master Robert A. Heinlein prior to publishng. A brilliant first contact novel set in the Second Empire of Man.
Monday Book Pick – PsychoShop
Psychoshop, by Alfred Bester and Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny finished a manuscript that Bester didn’t complete before his death. The result is an interesting blend of the two writer’s styles complete with really well written fight scenes (Zelazny was an Aikido instructor for years).
Tax Day Tea Party Signs
Two sources of images for Tax Day Tea Party signs, MarshBaby & Simon Jester.
For those of you who are not SciFi fans, Simon Jester is reference to Robert Heinlein’s classic The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, which was the Monday Book pick on January 26, 2009.
2018 update: Both the sites referenced are no longer valid.