Tag Archives: #Betrayal

Goyer, David S. & Cassutt, Michael: Heaven’s Shadow (2011)

2012-05-25 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Heaven's Shadow (Heaven's Shadow, #1) So! What do you think the various world-leaders would do if a Near Earth Object (NEO) appeared in the sky? Heaven’s Shadow is about that. Not surprisingly, the appearance sparks a contest between the US and the rest of the world to get to the object first. Two space ships are sent to investigate and they discover more than they had bargained for. The NEO turns out to be alien and not necessarily friendly.

Paranoia, curiosity and courage are all displayed along with pretty natural, yet often unwise reactions. Our perspective is from the NASA spaceship’s crews – their actions and reactions.

This novel is a fun read. The way people act in it seems pretty realistic. The whole alien NEO thing not so much. But that’s what SciFi is, likely and unlikely thoughts about the future. What is likely is that at some point in the future an NEO could come close enough for us to visit. That’s what makes it so fun to read. Knowing part of the story could possibly happen given a certain set of circumstances.

Mystery

McBain, Ed: Alice in Jeopardy (2005)

2012-05-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

I’ve seen several readers on Amazon complaining of McBain‘s treatment of “Alice in Jeopardy”. Just because McBain has strayed from his “Precinct” characterization does not mean that the quality of his writing has diminished. It is as it has always been, good quality mystery prose.

This is a fun mystery. The “bad” guy is a surprise and Alice, our heroine, is fairly three-dimensional. Alice’s two children are kidnapped, and this is the story of getting them back and finding the bad guy.

There is plenty of action and psychology, necessary ingredients in a mystery. McBain was truly one of the better mystery writers out there.

Adventure, Fantasy

Freeman, Lorna: Shadow’s Past (Borderlands III) (2010)

2012-05-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

How is it that some authors write a series and as they go along their books maintain high quality and re-readability while others end up with muck in the end. Lorna Freeman’s books are in the first category. Her books continue to be fun to read, leaving me happy at the end of them – glad to have read them.

Shadows Past continues shortly after The King’s Own. Rabbit keeps on being flung into unexpected situations (trouble-magnet that he is), challenging his loyalties and his ability to trust others. He is still delightfully naive yet wise. Everyone has their own plans on how to use Rabbit, but he keeps on being true to himself. When an offer of marriage turns up, King Jussom takes Rabbit to check out the offer.

The Borderlands series has no pretensions of immortality. But this is a series I keep on reading, gaining nuggets of wisdom and good old entertainment.

Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult

Freeman, Lorna: The King’s Own (Borderlands II) (2006)

2012-05-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Lorna Freeman is still going strong in “The King’s Own”, the second book of the “Borderlands” series.

The King’s Own continues shortly after Covenants ended. Rabbit’s journey into the mastery of magic continues. Towards the end of Covenants we see that Rabbit’s abilities as a magician make him one of the stronger magicians in the Borderlands. Along with his lack of control, Rabbit discovers that people are suspicious and fearful of his new-found abilities. The discovery of death magic in the same city as Rabbit and the king heightens the suspicion of him. Once again, Rabbit has to prove himself.

Rabbit’s character is fun. He is true to himself, confused, naive, foolish and wise – I guess just like most people are. Perhaps that is what attracts me about his character. Rabbit is someone I wouldn’t have minded being in my early 20’s. That aside, Freeman is simply a great writer. She has the gift, no doubt about it.

Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult

Freeman, Lorna: Covenants (Borderlands I) (2004)

2012-05-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

I love Lorna Freeman’s writing. I’ve read the whole Borderlands series several times.

I’ve tried several times to figure out what there is about this series that I like so much. The first thing that comes to mind is the quality of Freeman’s writing. It draws me in and refuses to let me go. In the ocean of average authors, Freeman is a lighthouse. Her books are clean. This is a rare quality today. Explicitness is seemingly sought after by the masses, at least when I consider the many authors out there. No sex and nothing gory. How amazing is that? Along with the naive worldliness of Rabbit, his tricky mentor – Faena Laurel, the respected captain Suiden and his nemesis Slevoic – we get served a story full of action, humor, wisdom and fun. I’m left a happier person each time I read her books.

“Covenants” is book no. 1 in the series about Rabbit. This is the story of how he comes into his magic, his discovery of familial relationships and his willingness to be true to himself.

Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery

Pratt, T.A.: Spell Games (2009)

2012-05-06 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

This is the 4th book in the Marla Mason series. I haven’t read the previous installments: “Blood Engines”, “Poison Sleep” and “Dead Reign”, but still felt as though I was able to follow the story-line.

In “Spell Games” Marla’s long-lost brother turns up in her life again. They parted on bad terms and Marla isn’t sure how she feels about seeing him again. But her brother, Jason, is a con-artist and quite a talker and manages to convince Marla to give him a chance. She ends up helping him with a con, and surprisingly has quite a good time – until complications arise.

There are some really strange characters in this novel. One of them is a mushroom-worshipping sorcerer. I guess that’s what I liked about “Spell Games” – its strange twists and turns and dry wit.

As entertainment, this is a pretty good choice of reading.

Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Marion, Isaac: Warm Bodies (2011)

2012-04-16 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies is Isaac Marion‘s first novel. He has an interesting take on zombieism. According to the world of Warm Bodies, zombieism is not necessarily a permanent state. Just because something is, doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to remain so. But change will bring resistance from the more conservative (both living and zombies).

The main problem with this novel is that it’s message is too obvious at times – in fact spelled out. I felt as though I was being preached at. This is a first novel, though, and as such – pretty good.

I liked the way “R”‘s, the main protagonist, journey was presented. The road from moan and groan to being able to make himself understood on many levels was interesting. It gets kind of gory at times but probably not more than most teen-literature today.

There’s plenty of humor. I especially appreciated the way the schools for the living and the schools for the dead were.

Reviews:

Film-adaptation acquired 2010 by Summit Entertainment to be released 2013

Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller

Morgan, Richard: Altered Carbon (2002)

2012-04-12 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

I like mysteries. Anything from Agatha Christie to Richard Morgan. They’re all the same, in a sense. Some crime happens and the detective (police or private) comes on the scene and (usually) miraculously solves the crime. The route from A to B varies, but in essence they’re all the same. That’s why they’re so fun.

Add mystery to cyber-punk. Cyber-punk tends to be cynical and dark. Altered Carbon sticks to that kind of tone. Maybe the whole concept of having our personalities stored and ready to be placed into new bodies is a theme that lends itself to exploitation and conflict. Imagine what a person holding immense power, such as the leader of a mega-corporation, could do with access to both bodies and personalities. The lure of power is what keeps the “baddie” of Altered Carbon doing their terrible deeds.

When Takeshi Kovacs, former United Nations Envoy and a native of Harlan’s World, is killed on Harlan’s World (humans now live on various planets in our galaxy) his personality is beamed from Harlan to Old Earth (good old Terra) for a mission where his only choice is do or die (or even do and die).

There he is expected to solve the mystery of what really happened to Laurens Bancroft. Laurens Bancroft is a Meth (Methusalem from the Old Testament). As the name indicates, Mehts live an incredibly long time through resleeving their personality into new bodies. Imagine living like that and the effects time would have upon you. I imagine that in order to choose such a path and to stay on it for centuries you would have to be somewhat of a psychopath. Otherwise you would probably go insane from every one else around you dying. Insane or not Mr. Bancroft’s death has the verdict of suicide. The reason Kovacs has been revived is due to disagreement about the verdict. Here we arrive at the who-dun-it.

Takeshi Kovacs is an enjoyable character. His past haunts him and being in a new body takes some getting used to. There is explicitness in Altered Carbon. I don’t mind that, but then I am 49 years old and not 15.

I like that Mr. Morgan has kept Kovacs alive past Altered Carbon. He is a character well worth knowing – complicated.

Altered Carbon won the Philip K. Dick Award for best novel in 2003

Movie rights have been bought but the film has not been released yet. Updates on IMDB.