Monday Book Pick: Fuzzy Nation
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
When I first heard that John Scalzi wanted to do a reboot of H. Beam Piper‘s “Little Fuzzy“, it made my Sunday SciFi pick for 4/11/10. It’s out now, and I’ve read it (thanks Fred!), and I have to say it’s pretty damn good. Piper purists may yelp because there is no contra-grav, but it’s a bloody reboot! Expect change and embrace it. Scalzi clearly has serious SciFi author chops. He wouldn’t be my first choice for a reboot of Space Viking or Uller Uprising, but the Fuzzy books, sure. My top choice for Space Viking would be David Weber, and John Ringo for Uller Uprising.
Monday Book Pick: Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can’t Stand Up to the Facts
Filed under: American History, Global War on Islamofascism, History, Monday Book Pick, Political Books, Politics
Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can’t Stand Up to the Facts by David Dunbar, Brad Reagan and James B. Meiqs
Here is the day after September 11 special edition Monday Book Pick. The kryptonite of those Troofer idiots, actual facts and rational thought.
Monday Book Pick: The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril
The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont
The book is crack for pulp fans. Really, I’m not kidding. The heroes include Lester and Norma Dent, Walter Gibson, L. Ron Hubbard, Robert Heinlein and a merchant ship working cowboy who goes by “Lew” (Louis L’Amour I’m betting, perhaps Malmont couldn’t get his estate to release the use of his name). Additional appearances by H.P. Lovecraft and E.E. “Doc” Smith. It’s pulp writing, done by someone who loves pulp and wrote a big, wet, sloppy kiss to pulp.
Monday Book Pick: Seize the Day
Seize the Day by Richard Marcinko and Jim DeFelice
Wow, the Rogue Warrior series is up to fourteen with this installment. It’s a good action yarn, and Marcinko like to remind you that he does have a Masters in International Relations and has more than “shooting and looting” in his world travels. In this book, he reminds that you sucks to be an average Cuban under Castro’s brand of Communism and that there are worse prisons on the island than the terrorist holding cells at Gitmo. My favorite in the series is still the first one, his autobiography written to pay his legal bills.
Monday Book Pick: Phoenix Rising
Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
The first in a new Steampunk action/adventure/romance series. Not a bad first outing for the writing team of Ballantine and Morris. Good solid formula adventure, the kind Lester Dent made a very nice living writing during the Golden Age of Pulp. That is a favorable comparison by the way. This novel, which takes place in the 1890’s, complete with airships, Analytic Engines, steam powered bar bots serving beer and a mystery filled “Ministry” protecting the British Empire. This series follows two agents of that Ministry, a studious “Archivist” aptly named “Books” and the uber-field agent, Ms. “Braun”, who wears a bullet proof corset (Ministry issue of course), is a crack shot with her two customer revolvers and has a fondness for explosives.
Stop groaning! The plot flows well and has enough twists and fight scenes to keep you engaged. In all a good, fun read. I’ll be looking forward to the next installment in this Steampunk series.
Monday Book Pick: The Hot Gate
The third in his latest series, which is “old school SciFi Space Opera”. Ya, we got your epic space battle right here, and in case you forgot no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. They have their own battle plans, that is why they are called the enemy. Sometimes you don’t win, but not losing can still carry the day. A damn fine read. May Mr. Ringo continue providing his ‘reader crack’ a pace that destroys laptops but pays for many new ones.
Monday Book Pick: How The Obama Administration Threatens Our National Security
Filed under: History, Monday Book Pick, Our Dear Leader, Political Books, Politics
Victor David Hanson’s book How The Obama Administration Threatens Our National Security
A Memorial Day special edition Monday Book Pick.
Here is a video that summarizes the book nicely.
Monday Book Pick: Flaming Zeppelins
Flaming Zeppelins by Joe R. Landale
A nifty little farce combining multiple historical and fictional characters in a series of adventures, complete with cross dimensional rifts to stir the pot a bit. Reminded me of lot of Philip Jose Farmer’s writing as various fictional authors, with just a dash of Robert Heinlein’s The Number of the Beast thrown in for good measure. The cast includes Annie Oakley, Wild Bill Hickock, Buffalo Bill Cody’s animated head, Mark Twain, Jules Verne, Martian invaders and more. That includes Ned the Seal. Ned doesn’t talk, that would be silly. He does write a lot on a notepad he wears on a chain around his neck though.
Monday Book Pick: Rogue Warrior
Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko
Given that the Navy anti-terrorism group, which consists of SEAL Team Members and was originally called SEAL Team Six, I’m repeating the book pick from 12/29/08
This is the autobiography of the founder of SEAL Team Six, the Navy’s anti-terrorist unit.
Written in prison to pay off his legal fees. Considering one of his jobs in the Navy was to piss off Admirals, hardly surprising.
I still say the Admirals that put there should be brought up on charges. He is exactly the kind of psycho SOB (and I mean that in a good way) that you want doing the jobs he did.
Monday Book Pick: Go Tell The Spartans
Go Tell The Spartans by Dr. Jerry Pournelle and S.M. Stirling
Part of Pournelle’s Condominium series, and more specifically part of the Falkenberg Legion series. An excellent read in the Military SciFi genre, and a damn good primer on low intensity conflicts as well.
SciFi Geek Bonus Points: The first mention of “Major Falkenberg” and the “Falkenberg Rifles” isn’t in a book by Mr. Pournelle. Geek points for identifying which Military Sci-Fi book does.