Book Review - Children of Destruction

My book website, http://www.AlienStarBooks.com, is doing pretty well, drawing some attention.

In fact, recently a small publisher contacted me, submitting books for inclusion on my website. In addition, he asked me to read and review a couple of books.

I must say, after reading the first book, those of you who are hesitating to dive into the self-published book market, you need to take a deep breath and go for it. Just be sure to read the samples and reviews so ensure that you have an idea of the author's ability to write an interesting tale, and then get the darn book! You can't go wrong, the prices are darn near used book prices and you can read them on a Kindle or Nook, on your home computer, or depending on the publisher, download a pdf that you can print out a few pages at a time and read at your leisure. (Use the fast draft option on your printer and print two sided to save paper!)

One of the books provided to me (I haven't read the other yet), the Children of Destruction by Al Philipson is a good read, coming to a very satisfying conclusion.

Children of Destruction

Here's my review, posted on Amazon.com:

I really enjoyed this adult romp that extends from the deaths of darn nearly everyone on Earth to a distant planet, spanning 200 years. A new beginning for both societies, leading up to a violent and satisfying conclusion.

Like another reviewer, I felt like the Matthews family saga dragged a little in the middle of the story, until it jumped 200 years into the future. I would've like to have read about their first contact with other groups of surviving humans. On the other hand, I liked the way the author mixed a bit of social commentary into the mix, in a very Heinlein-like way, and the solutions to their continued survival. I was a bit concerned at how few survivors there were, as I know a lot of very, very intelligent people who have high IQs; it seemed a little unrealistic on that point. But then again, this is science fiction so perhaps some didn't survive due to their mental quirkiness. A little more diversity in the original disaster would've been nice too. Only two children survive to join the Matthews family, one a teen, and they're both white. Hmmm. Surely there would've been more highly intelligent children who lived, some of them children of Color? And no gays or lesbians?

I would've also enjoyed reading a snippet about the alien's evil wife and her reaction when she found out how she'd out-smarted herself. And too bad they didn't take a few slaves along, it would've been cool to see how they'd have adapted to space and a new world. However, the callousness in how they were abandoned highlighted the aliens' brutality and inhuman (and yet all too human) disregard for other species. I did see some irony in the alien protagonist's situation and the end result, 200 years in the future. No spoilers here, you'll have to read the story to see what I mean!

On the formatting and grammar end, there were actually very few typos and misused words. A few places where there was an extra space between a word and a comma, and the smart quote problem where the single quote faces the wrong way on shortened words like 'em. (You have to put two single quotes in, then delete the first one. Write ''em and then change it to 'em) In general, nothing that held up the progression of the story or made me groan in frustration. One more proofreading pass through the book would've taken care of those small issues.

All in all, I'd recommend this very creative and practical science fiction adventure to adult sci-fi fans. Due to the sex, I'd say it's definitely an R-rated adult book. Some scenarios, including the sex and group marriage, may be disturbing to more conservative readers.

Please note that the book was provided to me at no charge and I received no other compensation for reading and reviewing it.

My New Website!

OK, this is the project I've been working on ever since I made the mistake of asking for referrals to good science fiction and fantasy for Teens of Color.

Oh my goodness! There was some not-nice comments and one person even accused me of wanting NO White characters at all.

Wahhhht?

Are you kidding me? Are people really that threatened, that they can't share the future with Teens of Color? That all protagonists must be the traditional, stereotypical, White male hero? Really? REALLY?

So amid encouraging private messages and referrals from fellow writers, educators and parents, I took the info and started a website featuring short book reviews of science fiction and fantasy books with protagonists of Color. It's going to take a lot of work, but I've gotten a lot done already and went live because, well, I could work on it forever and it'll never be finished.

Alien Star Books, www.alienstarbooks.com, is all about reading!! I'm reading and reviewing as fast as I can so I can get short reviews of the books up ASAP. Next to the reviews, I have the book cover images that are also links to Amazon. (In the interests of disclosure, I DO get a couple of nickels if you order using my links.)

And before anyone goes off about the focus of the website, yes, there is an "Everybody Else" page that features good sci-fi/fantasy with protagonists that might be a clone, disabled, female, genderless, Gay or Lesbian or White. Why? Because my purpose is to INCLUDE, not exclude good books that are appropriate for teens and young adults, featuring characters that they can relate to. So yes, that includes Tolkien and Asimov and Bradley and Norton and all the other classic works.

I'd like to invite you to submit referrals to science fiction and fantasy books, including your own published works. But be warned, I will review the book and I reserve the right to speak my mind...

Reading Patricia Briggs

I've been reading Patricia Briggs' books.

OH MY GOSH, they are so darn good. The main character, Mercy, is interesting and complex. So are the other characters. The books move right along with lots of detail that keeps you involved in the story.

So far I've read Moon Called, Iron Kissed, and Blood Bound. In fact, they're so fascinating, I've turned right around to reread them. I don't do that often, sadly most books aren't worth the time. These are!

They've inspired the book I'm working on right now, which is NOT in the same universe as Ms Briggs', but maybe two dimensions over and to the left.

I highly, highly recommend these books to the fantasy/sci-fi fans as well as fans of the latest supernatural books.

My New Book

For my friends who've been asking, yes, I'm still working on my novel.

It's going to take a good while, I like my fiction, especially near future fiction, to have a factual basis. I'm not going to just make something up, it needs to be scientifically plausible.

Fortunately, my sister is a geologist, teacher, and fellow sci-fi fan, so when I'm to that point, I'll ask her to read it and see what she says. Trust me, my family is not known for being tactful. If she thinks it's boring, she'll tell me.

But I'm only on Chapter 3, so there is still much writing and then rewriting to do. Since I really only work on it on Sunday afternoons during my son's Skate and Shoot practice at the hockey rink, it's going to take a good while...

Actually, it's going to take even longer, since my ex and his wife have been showing up at the rink. They are simply not capable of leaving me alone to work and my book is NOT ready to share.

Today, being Labor Day, I've got to get busy, I have a LOT of labor to do around the house today.

Journey To The Center Of The Earth

My kids and I went to the movies last night. We saw Journey To The Center Of The Earth.

They liked the movie. To be honest, when taking the movie as it is, a fast ride like a ride in Disneyland, it was pretty fun.

According to my preteen son, it was a little slow at the beginning, but once the ride started, it was fun. My teen liked it.

The 3-D effect was interesting, it succeeded in making me jump several times. LOL!

I thought there could be a LOT more to the movie, the 3-D effect could have been used more effectively, the characters were merely OK. Charging an extra $3.50 for tickets, I assume to cover the cost of the 3D glasses, was a bit much.

OK fare for kids and budding sci-fi fans. (My son has expressed some interest in Jules Verne, I'll have to find my copy of the book.) Definitely go to the matinee so you can stop by the library or bookstore to pick up a copy of Jules Verne's book after the movie.

I rate it as a B-.

It's WAY Past Time To Write Another Book

Life is so busy and it's hard to sit down and write.

Yet, more and more, I feel the need to sit myself down and write another book.

I had started one a long time ago, but I've misplaced the printout, and the text is on an old big floppy, so I don't even know if I can get it moved onto a diskette or CD anymore. Hmmm, but it came to me as I was writing that my mom might still have an old computer with a big floppy drive. I'll have to ask her. I just want to copy the file, so maybe it'll work...

I also started a small cookbook, but I've neglected it. With my daughter growing up and getting ready to leave home (or at least that's what she says), she's going to need this so I'd better hurry up and get it done!

Anyway, the book I'm thinking about right now, well, it's been floating around in my head in the last week. I keep thinking about it.

I need to start working on it. This one is going to be fiction. Kind of near-future science fiction.

My kid is going to be taking a class on Tuesday nights, so you know what, I have a little QuickPad, so I can work on it during the three hours of her class. If I write a chapter every week, it'll be done by the time she's done with the class.

Hmmmm, you know, that's a plan, isn't it?

It's way past time to write another book. And now I have a plan.

I guess I don't have any more excuses -- it's time to write.

In The Ocean Of Night

I love that title.

It has images that flow through my mind when I read it. I can feel the crashing of the waves of imagination, the sense of being connected to the spiritual whole of our conciousness. In the ocean of night, I'm just one tiny creature peering up into the vastness of the universe.

I really like this book. Gregory Benford is a very talented storyteller who weaves a fascinating tale of an astronaut who isn't afraid to do the right thing when humans find their first alien artifacts. The book, published in 1972, has aged pretty well -- umm, anyway, if you kind of ignore the dates. The nineties have long passed.

Benford pulls together fact and fiction along with great insight into human nature and politics to make a great sci-fi story.

I really need to read the next books in this series.

In fact, in the new year, I really need to spend more time reading and relaxing. I've had a really stressful year, but I'm looking forward to 2008. It's going to be a good year.