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 Science Fiction by two of the best “Hard Science Fiction” authors out there. This was their first collaboration and for extra bonus points, they had it vetted by the Grandmaster of Science Fiction, Robert A. Heinlein.
Monday Book Pick – Special Double Volume Edition: To Your Scattered Bodies Go & The Fabulous Riverboat
To Your Scattered Bodies Go & The Fabulous Riverboat by Philip Jose Farmer
A double hit by one of my favorite authors. The first two books in his Riverworld series are back in print in a single volume. To Where Your Scatter Bodies Go was my book pick way back on 9/7/09, but I saw that it was back in print today. It’s worth the repeat, especially combined with The Fabulous Riverboat. This is one of the grand epics of Science Fiction and certainly worth the read to any student of the genre.
Monday Book Pick: Citadel
Filed under: Baen Books, Monday Book Pick, Science Fiction
This is the second in his “Troy Rising” series and it doesn’t fail to deliver! The first book in the series was a pick last year. He said he was going to go old school SciFi Space Opera with this series, and my hope what he would go E.E. “Doc” Smith big. Let me just say that my faith in Mr. Ringo was not misplaced. A very fun read. I recommend this series to long term Ringo fans, like me, and to those who haven’t sampled his particular brand of reader crack yet.
Monday Book Pick: Diversity Lane
Diversity Lane by Zack Rawsthorne.
The web comic now in dead tree format! Great strip, on my short list of web comics to check daily. Rawsthorne captures the liberal mindset in brilliant one panel cartoons.
Monday Book Pick: Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist
Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist by Patrick Albert Moore
Speaking of Evniromentalists and watermelons, this week’s pick is by a founder of Greenpeace. This book is by someone who actually cares about the planet, who quit the organization he helped found after it was taken over by socialists using the environmental movement to push their political agenda. Here is the money quote from a recent article by Moore:
The collapse of world communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall during the 1980s added to the trend toward extremism. The Cold War was over and the peace movement was largely disbanded. The peace movement had been mainly Western-based and anti-American in its leanings. Many of its members moved into the environmental movement, bringing with them their neo-Marxist, far-left agendas. To a considerable extent the environmental movement was hijacked by political and social activists who learned to use green language to cloak agendas that had more to do with anti-capitalism and anti-globalization than with science or ecology. I remember visiting our Toronto office in 1985 and being surprised at how many of the new recruits were sporting army fatigues and red berets in support of the Sandinistas.
Oh ya, a watermelon is a politie term to describe those folks in the red berets, a thin skin of green, but red to the core.
HT to AoSH, who also has this bonus video by Michael Crichton
Monday Book Pick: Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth
Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth by Les Johnson, Gregory L. Matloff and C. Bangs.
A bit of hard science for you geeks and Greenies (real greenies, not watermelons), describing on how to use resources of the solar system for terrestrial benefit. Yup, going to space is good for Mother Gaia. Move your hard industry and power production to Earth orbit and mine the resources of the Solar System.
Monday Book Pick: The Fighting Tomahawk
The Fighting Tomahawk by Dwight C. McLemore.
Dispite its European origins, the tomahawk is considered a uniquely American weapon. This is an interesting look at the use of tomhawk, and long knife, in practical combat terms. It is interesting that the author emphasizes the reverse grip for the knife. I’m not a big fan of the reverse knife grip for combat, but I can see how it is useful in blocking when the tomahawk is the primary offensive weapon.
Monday Book Pick: The 4 Hour Body
The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss
I just started digging into this book, but it is very interesting and the result of a huge amount of research.
Monday Book Pick: Out of the Dark
Out of the Dark by David Weber
Weber takes a look at a near future Earth invaded by a ruthless alien species. Raw meat for Weber fans right up to the surprise ending. An ending which horked off some fans, but not me. I took at a hat tip to the late Fred Saberhagen.
Monday Book Pick: Alongside Night
Alongside Night by J. Neil Schulman
This Libertarian novel from 1979 predicted the Obama presidency pretty damn accurately! So much so, the author plans on suing the United States for Copyright Infringement!