Category: Books

Books are the lifeblood of something or the other. A book a day keeps the brain cells snapping.

08/15/08

Book Review: Sandworms of Dune

I purchased Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s Sandworms of Dune on impulse while waiting for my delayed flight two weeks ago. I’ve heard of Dune and may have played the video game of the same name when I was young, but at the time I did not connect the two together.

The read was a bit difficult due to my lack of knowledge of the prequels in which there are many. The story was dropping prominent names left and right and I had no idea who they were.
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08/4/08

Book Review: Night Train to Rigel

If James Bonds were to find himself out of a job and out of luck with the ladies, Timothy Zahn’s Night Train to Rigel would be his story.

The story follows a former Earth intelligence officer, Frank Compton, as he receives a train ticket from a dying man. Compton was booted from his government position when he criticized the Earth’s colonization of a dirt ball to meet the requirements to become an interstellar race. Utilizing his skill and experience, he becomes a freelancer for anyone with the right credit amount.
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06/25/08

Book Review: Dragondoom

Lately, fantasy stories showcase dragons as wise beings befriending a human or as the mounts for dragonriders. The various races would all travel and greet one another in a matrimony of happiness and invariably, the dwarf in each tale would take up his role as the protagonist’s loyal sidekick and comedy shtick.

That is not the case in Dennis L. McKiernan’s Dragondoom.
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06/16/08

Book Review: Khi to Freedom

I picked up Ardath Mayhar’s Khi to Freedom for the novelty of it. I have a friend whose name matches exactly to the first word in the title.

The plot of the book compares favorably to a combination of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Matrix. The book follows a human, Hale Enbo, as he works as a planetary scout exploring and documenting new races and species.
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06/9/08

Book Review: Halo – The Fall of Reach

After a little prodding from an anonymous commentator, Wutaku seems to be on a crusade to improve his writing skills which have fallen pretty far from his college days.

One of the best ways to expand ones vocabulary and improve on grammar is to read books, newspapers, and listen to NPR. But seeing as how journalists are getting lazier in proofreading their work and the topics on NPR are just so dry, reading books is the way to go.

Personally, I have not read a book in over a decade; textbooks notwithstanding.
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