The Third Kingdom

In Terry Goodkind's latest book The Third Kingdom, we revisit the world of Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell.  Better then The Omen Machine by far, this book is a return to the excitement that Goodkind captured in the Sword of Truth series.

The Long Earth

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter is a fresh take on the idea of parallel worlds.  Mankind discovers the ability to 'step' into a string of alternate earths.  Some people are natural steppers, like Joshua Valienté, while others have to rely on an invention called a 'stepper'.  The discovery quite literally opens up endless new options for the expansion of humanity.

The idea of mankind's expansion into space is one that has been thoroughly explored (pardon the pun).  Sci-fi books tend to focus outwardly on the solar system and wider universe.  So I appreciate the unique approach to an oft used concept.  The second book, The Long War, is already out and I look forward to reading it as well. 

Redshirts

Redshirts by John Scalzi starts off as an off-kilter sci-fi exploration story.   The starship Intrepid traverses the universe to discover new civilizations and make contact with new worlds with the crew having madcap adventures along the way.  If that sounds vaguely familiar, that's because it is.  Patterned loosely after Star Trek, the story even takes its name from the crew members that die - the redshirts. Not to spoil the ending, but Redshirts breaks the proverbial 4th wall and ends up far from where it begins.  An homage or sorts, this book is a very witty and refreshing look at (or examination or even deconstruction of?) the sci-fi genre. 

The Future's so Bright

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu is funny, sad, touching, and thoroughly entertaining.  With shades of The Hitchhiker's Guide mixed with a little bit of The Time Traveler's Wife and a portion of Slaughterhouse Five on the side, this book is an entertaining jaunt through time and space.  A quick read for sure, yet for all its brevity, it packs a powerful amount of humor, angst, and metaphysics.

Small Ambitions

I am not a man for whom
great things were intended.
Small ambitions
are all that is left for me.

Chase

I'll chase the planets through their orbits
In an endless game of tag. 
Never ahead, always behind;
The stars applaud, the moons cheer. 


I'll chase the earth through its orbit
In an endless game of tag.
The ether is my home;
Soon the stars will be gone.

Book Review: Cloud Atlas

I read this book because I'd seen where it is being made into a movie with an all-star cast.  The sources I read spoke very highly of the source material, so of course I had to read it.  This is a truly fascinating narrative which weaves back an forth through several centuries, both past and future.  It could be pigeon-holed as sci-fi, but it actually transcends the bounds of the genre.  A must read for any lover of good stories.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Book Review: The Triptych

The Triptych by J. M. Frey

I was not not very into inter species sex, so I stopped this one about one third of the way through it. Not sure how this made it onto anyone's “Best of 2011” lists.

Book Review: The Omen Machine

The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind

It was nice to revisit the world of Richard, Kahlan, Zedd and all the other great characters in Goodkind's universe. It was good to get reacquainted with them, but the book itself leaves a little to be desired. It is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, and can whip the pants off of most fantasy novels. But compared to other books in the Sword of Truth series, this one was just okay - not terrible or phenomenal, but definitely a compelling read. It is the type of books that kept me up too late at night because I had to know what happened next. But that was probably due to the fact that I know and love these characters. Thanks Mr Goodkind for opening this world up to us again.

Book Review: Among Others

Morwenna and her twin sister used to talk to the fairies.  When her mother loses her grip on reality she is sent from Wales to England to be cared for by her father.  She is sent to boarding school.  She is a outsider both in her new home and at her new school.  Noticing she is an avid reader, the school librarian recommends a weekly book discussion group which meets at a local library.  She makes new friends and finds refuge in this book club
I love this book for so many reasons.  One reason is that it defies classification.  Is it fantasy or sci-fi?  Is it just a straight forward novel?  I'm not sure which leads me to another reason.  The narrative is never clear as to whether or not Mori really sees fairies and interacts with them or is she delusional?   This is a bittersweet tale of the end of childhood and so much more.  I recommend this one.

Among Others by Jo Walton

Book Review: The Wall of The Universe

John Rayburn meets a curious stranger who says that he is John, but from another universe.  Believing this other version of himself, John leaps into a new universe.  The remainder of the book chronicles his and the other John's universe hopping activities.  This book was good enough - light sci-fi fare suitable for the beach or a plane ride.  But nothing to get super excited about.  Pulp fiction lives on.
The Wall of The Universe by Paul Melko

Book Review: The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice

An orphan girl tells fantastical stories to a boy of the royal household.  This is a spellbinding book filled with intertwined tales in the tradition of the Arabian nights. The narrative is layered and interwoven as each new character shares their story.  It was hard at times for me to keep all the story lines and characters straight, which makes me truly appreciate the author's skills.  Visit the author's website to learn more about these fascinating tales.

The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynne M. Valente

Poem: the fading lights of a lonely summer

long lovely lonely
sunny summer days
all alone
companion-less
devoid of company
passing day after day of summer sun
all by my lonesome
no one to pass the time with

the end of this long summer finds me
willing autumn's speedy arrival
longing for shorter days and longer nights
and hoping it will bring with it
someone to pass the season with
but as green bleeds from the leaves
leaving behind orange and red and yellow

a chill creeps into the air
pushing summer's heat into memory
turning my hope into to hopelessness
that autumn might be lonely
that I might pass another season alone

and I don't even want to think about winter

Book Reviews: Catching Fire, Mockingjay

The Hunger Games introduced us to Katniss Everdeen and the world of Panem. In the second and third books of the series, Suzanne Collins advances the narrative with a lot of action and a fair number of surprises. We learn much more about the world Katniss inhabits - more about Kastniss' life, Panam's history and the current state of things outside of District 12.

Catching Fire brings us back to the Games. Mockingjay takes us further into Panem. As a follow up to a phenomenal first book, The Hunger Games, there was danger these two books might not equal this original. But both deliver and neither disappoints. There is a lot of action, suspense and excitement. Collins has penned a series of page turners which beg to be read. These books hold their own against anything else on the shelves.

Thumbs up!

Poem: Futility

Goals are futile

setting goals is futile

reaching a goal is futility

Gain is futile

chasing wealth is futile

the lust for more is futility

Men plan and work

toiling in hope to earn

wealth, influence, noteriety

Dreams of empires

visions of conquering

longing for monuments to themselves

Yet empires fall

monuments are ruined

and futility reigns over all

Mankind reaps wind

and returns to the dust

wealth inherited by the living

But rich and poor

get joy from food and friends

fresh air and rest and simple living

When life is lived

with plain, simple graces

small joys are the spring of true pleasure

Poem: Transience a.k.a. A Tribute to a Barrier Island

waves roll up onto the shore

bringing sand, leaving shells

building up, taking away

grain after grain

the sand shifts

waves move and rearrange

impermanence and longevity

intertwined in a cycle

of erosion and redistribution

purposeful transience

planned impermanence

forever moving

forever changing

Author's comment: People who build their homes on barrier islands should not be surprised when their homes get washed away.

Poem: In Death Be True

As I leave this mortal life

I have one request, dear wife

In death be true

Please long for no other

Never find another

Let your heart be mine forever

As I draw my last breath

And approach certain death

Please draw near

Lay your hand in my mine

Swear to be true for all time

Swear you will always love me

As my life slips away

Confirm your oath this day

Seal it with a kiss

Tell me that you'll never leave

That your heart will always grieve

When death takes me

As death takes my hand

Draws me into his land

On the other side of the veil

I fear what awaits

But hold on to faith

That you will remain true

As I slip from life

My darling, my wife

Tell me that you'll be true

That you will honor this vow

For forever from now

That in my death you'll be true

Poem: We The Dying

We recognize death

and curse its presence

as it surrounds us

and weighs us down

dogging our every step

Many fight to prolong

the inevitable end

while many are alive

and never live

they merely wait

We however face death

with determination

to live fully and completely

as we rush towards death

the conquered enemy

We the dying declare

that we will face death head on

knowing we will live once more

awaiting the destruction of death

and the enthronement of life

once and for all

Poem: Ode to Time

Time is disposable

wasted

abused

and misused

Time is relentless

unstoppable

unable to be tamed

or reclaimed

Time is a trap

a jail cell

a deception

a room with no exit

Time is invisible

unknowable

unchangeable

irreversible

Time is unreal

an artifice

an imposition

a prison

Time is measured

by the snail and the light

when our time is done

Time will go on

Poem: The pictures in my mind

my favorite horsehair brush

loaded with paint

strokes canvas

lays on color

forms shapes

that will become

the pictures in my mind

mental snapshots

come to life

a colorful life of paint

in a flat canvas world

each stroke

defines, redefines

the pictures in my mind

my favorite brush

an instrument of life

delivers color

and shading

each new stroke

breathes life

into the pictures in my mind