The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi
A fun romp through Interstellar politics, romance, advenure and the Android’s Dream, an electric-blue breed of sheep. Yup, that’s a big tip of the hat to Philip K. Dick. There is also a big jab made a religion based on the rantings of a SF writer of “modest talents.”
Tags: book, John Scalzi, Monday Book Pick, Science Fiction, SciFi
Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine
Tags: book, Glenn Beck, political book, Politics
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.
Tags: Alternate History, book, Monday Book Pick, S.M. Stirling, Science Fiction, SciFi
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.
Tags: book, Jonah Goldberg, Monday Book Pick, political book, Politics
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.
Tags: 101st Airborne, book, Memorial Day, Monday Book Pick, US Army, US Military
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.
Tags: book, Military Science Fiction, Monday Book Pick, Science Fiction, SciFi
Just to check the pulse of America and see how things are trending, let’s take a look at what Americans are reading.
Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark Levin is currently holds the #1 position in sales ranking for all books at Amazon.com.
The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed the World is a very respectable #19 in the Amazon sales ranking.
Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning comes out in Paperback in June. I’m expecting a jump in sales then.
Tags: book, Free Speech, Jonah Goldberg, Mark Levin, Politics
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.
Tags: Baen Books, book, horror, John Ringo, Lovecraft, Martial Arts, Monday Book Pick, SciFi/Fantasy
“…status is not the American Conservative position. Rather, conservatives believe that change for change’s sake is folly. What kind of change? At what cost? For the liberals and progressives, everything was expendable, from tradition to individualism to “outdated” conceptions of freedom. These were all tired dogmas to be burned on the alters of the new age.”
Jonah Goldberg, Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning.
Dr. Pournelle points out a sad fact about this book and the majority of those who study political science:
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.
Tags: book, Fascist, fascist leftist, Liberal, Politics, Pournelle, Progressive
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.
Tags: book, Larry Niven, Military Science Fiction, Pournelle, Science Fiction, SciFi