Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review – TV:2000 edited by Isaac Asimov, Charles G. Waugh, Martin Harry Greenberg

TV:2000 edited by Asimov, Waugh, GreenbergGathering some of the best SF writers of the time including Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Theodore Sturgeon, Robert Silverberg, and more, TV:2000 offers prescient tales of television’s effects on society, how it can be used to shape opinion as much as entertain, misinform, disinform, and overwhelm.

As with any anthology, some stories are better than others and a few seem to miss the theme. My favorites included “The Jester” by William Tenn, “The Prize of Peril” by Robert Scheckley, “Mercenary” by Mack Reynolds, “And Madly Teach” by Lloyd Biggle, Jr., and “Interview” by Frank A. Javor.

Book Review: Holy Cow by David Duchovny

Holy Cow by David DuchovnyElsie the curious cow wanders to the window of the farmhouse where her human owners are watching a graphic TV show about the slaughter of animals at industrial meat farms. Shaken by this revelation of her own imminent fate, Elsie is determined to escape, but to where? She later learns of a country called India, where cows are worshipped, and devises a plan to get there.

Of course, word spreads quickly on a farm. Enter Jerry the Torah-quoting pig with a desire to live in Israel and Tom the turkey who wants flee to–you guessed it–Turkey. Together, the three embark on a globe-trotting escapade of enlightenment, understanding, and mutual respect.

Duchovny’s anthropomorphic adventure is a fast, funny, and uplifting read. Be prepared to suspend your disbelief while opening your mind and heart.

Book Review: Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear / Another Orphan by John Kessel

Enemy Mine_Another Orphan Book CoverIn the middle of a war, two enemy pilots crash land on a desolate and inhospitable world. The human, Willis Davidge, and the Drac, Jeriba Shigan must overcome their mutual hatred and learn to work together not only for their own survival, but for that of the child that Jeriba is carrying.

Barry Longyear’s Hugo and Nebula award-winning novella was adapted to the 1985 film starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr.

In John Kessel’s Nebula award-winning novella, Another Orphan, stockbroker Patrick Fallon is plucked from his civilized life by an unknown force and dropped on the whaling ship, Pequod, as a member of Captain Ahab’s crew during his quest for the white whale. However, the story doesn’t proceed as written by Melville and Fallon learns a grueling lesson about the nature of reality and freewill.

Book Review: Robert A. Heinlein’s Red Planet

Red Planet by Robert HeinleinOn Mars, members of Earth’s South Colony prepare to migrate north before winter arrives. It is also the beginning of a new school year at the academy on Syrtis Minor, near the North Colony. Returning to the school are best friends Jim Marlowe, Frank Sutton, and Jim’s pet, Willis. The latter is a round, furry Martian creature with the uncanny ability to remember everything it hears and repeat it with perfect accuracy.

This talent comes in handy when Jim, Frank, and Willis arrive at the academy and find themselves subject to the draconian rules and regulations of the new headmaster who confiscates Willis and locks the Martian in his office. While there, Willis overhears a conversation between the headmaster and the colony’s leader, Harold Beecher. After he is liberated by Jim and Frank, Willis recites all that he heard, including a plot to prevent the colonists in the south from migrating, thereby assuring that many will not survive the winter. With the headmaster monitoring all communications to and from the academy, there is no way to send a warning.

Can Jim and Frank break out of the school with Willis and survive the journey back to the South Colony on their own?

Published in 1949, Red Planet is the third in Heinlein’s juvenile novel collection (what might be called young adult in today’s vernacular). It’s a delightful romp with an imaginative take on indigenous Martians and their world’s landscape. I couldn’t help but think of Percival Lowell upon reading about the canals that our heroes traversed during their journey home.

Book Review: Successful Self-Publishing by Joanna Penn

Successful Self-Publishing by Joanna PennJoanna Penn provides a slim but informative overview of the tools, processes, and mindset needed to self-publish and market your books. If you want more detailed information on these topics, however, she provides links to her own website and refers you to her other books and weekly podcasts. Nevertheless, this is a solid starting point for burgeoning writers or even experienced authors who are self-publishing for the first time.

Book Review: My Runaway Summer by Larry Schardt

My Runaway Summer by Larry SchardtEscaping his abusive father, fifteen-year-old Larry Schardt runs away from his Pittsburgh home in the summer of 1970 and hitchhikes with a friend to Ocean City where he finds love, kinship, and a sense of belonging all while sleeping on back porches and under boardwalks. Larry’s ultimate goal is to continue on his journey to freedom all the way to Haight-Ashbury, a hippie haven in San Francisco but it isn’t long before he learns that you cannot run away from your problems. All told, Dr. Schardt presents a fast-paced coming of age memory that carries the reader away on an adventure of peace, love, and rock ‘n roll!