"The Long War" by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

Title: The Long War

Author: Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Publisher: Corgi

Book 2 of 'The Long Earth'

Blurb:

A generation after the events of The Long Earth, mankind has spread across the new worlds opened up by Stepping. Where Joshua and Lobsang once pioneered, now fleets of airships link the stepwise Americas with trade and culture. Mankind is shaping the Long Earth -- but in turn the Long Earth is shaping mankind... A new ‘America’, called Valhalla, is emerging more than a million steps from Datum Earth, with core American values restated in the plentiful environment of the Long Earth – and Valhalla is growing restless under the control of the Datum government... Meanwhile the Long Earth is suffused by the song of the trolls, graceful hive-mind humanoids. But the trolls are beginning to react to humanity'’s thoughtless exploitation... Joshua, now a married man, is summoned by Lobsang to deal with a gathering multiple crisis that threatens to plunge the Long Earth into a war unlike any mankind has waged before.

Synopsis:

Joshua, Lobsang and a multitude of characters deal with how mankind is treating the trolls.

At 1.4 million steps from earth a new America named Valhalla declares its independence from Datum Earth.

What more can I say....

Verdict:

You would think from the book title and the blurb that this book is about a war. I obviously missed that bit of the book, hang on a minute, no I did not miss it as it wasn't there. The Datum Earth send out a fleet of ships to Valhalla, but nothing happens. To come to think of it, nothing much happens in the whole book!

Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter have delivered a mediocre second book in this series. It moves the story along, although in what direction is not quite certain. I am hoping that the third book will bring the story to a conclusive end, as although the Long Earth series opens lots of possibilities, it seems that Mister's Pratchett and Baxter are not exploiting any of them.

Rating: 3/5

"Mitosis" by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Mitosis

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Gollanz

Book 1.5 of 'Reckoners'

Blurb:

From "New York Times" bestselling author Brandon Sanderson's action-packed novel "Steelheart" comes "Mitosis," a short story set in the world of The Reckoners series, exclusively available in the digital format.

Steelheart may be dead, but Epics still plague Newcago and David and the Reckoners have vowed to fight back.

Catch all the action before, "Firefight" is the exciting sequel to "Steelheart" hits shelves in December 2013.

Synopsis:

Having defeated Steelheart in Newcago, the Reckoners are attempting to restore the city with a human government. An Epic named 'Mitosis' comes looking for the Steelslayer, wishing to know the truth behind Steelheart's death, as he does not believe that a human could have defeated Steelheart. David, the Reckoners and the people of the City must fight to stop this epic from taking control of Newcago.

Verdict:

As soon as I saw this book was available, I had to read it. At 35 pages, it is less than an hours read and is action from the start. An enjoyable read with Sanderson delivering the goods once again.

Rating: 5/5

"Steelheart" by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Steelheart

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Gollanz

Book 1 of 'Reckoners'

Blurb:

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Synopsis:

David as a young boy see's his father killed by the Epic Steelheart. After ten years he has been watching and waiting for the Reckoners to make a hit on one of Steelheart's subordinates. He spots their mission going wrong and decides to help, to become one of the Reckoners. David and one of the Recokners kill an Epic and the Reckoners take him into custody to see if he is a problem. He convices them otherwise and soon a second Epic is dead.

David convinces the Reckoners that nothing will change unless they kill Steelhart. The leader agrees and a plan is hatched....

Verdict:

I was recommended this book, but was unsure about it to begin with. Shortly into the book, my mind was changed and I found it hard to put down. The idea that if people got super powers they would use them for their own goals is great, leaving the normal people to become the heroes. At 400 pages, it took me a while to read, but well worth it. Sanderson throws you straight in at the deep-end and keeps the action hot. This would make a superb movie.

Rating: 5/5

"The Long Earth" by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

Title: The Long Earth

Author: Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Publisher: Corgi

Book 1 of 'The Long Earth'

Blurb:

1916: the Western Front. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong, and the wind in the leaves in the trees. Where has the mud, blood and blasted landscape of No Man's Land gone?

2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Cop Monica Jansson is exploring the burned-out home of a reclusive (some said mad, others dangerous) scientist when she finds a curious gadget - a box containing some wiring, a three-way switch and a...potato. It is the prototype of an invention that will change the way Mankind views his world for ever.

And that is an understatement if ever there was one...

Synopsis:

The 'Long Earth' is a series of parallel worlds that are similar to Earth, which can be reached by using an inexpensive device called a "Stepper". The "close" worlds are almost identical to 'our' Earth (referred to as "Datum Earth"), others differ in greater and greater details, but all share one similarity: on none are there, or have there ever been, Homo sapiens - although the same cannot be said for earlier hominid species, especially Homo habilis. The book explores the theme of how humanity might develop when freed from resource constraints: one example Pratchett has cited is that wars result from lack of land – what would happen if no shortage of land (or gold or oil or food) existed?

The book deals primarily with the journeys of Joshua Valienté (a natural 'Stepper') and Lobsang, who claims to be a Tibetan motorcycle repairman reincarnated as an Artificial intelligence. The two chart a course to learn as much as possible about the parallel worlds, travelling millions of steps away from the original Earth. They encounter evidence of other humanoid species (referred to as trolls and elves); of human settlers who learned their gifts early, and of an extinct race of bipedal dinosaur descendants. They also encounter warning signs of a great danger, millions of worlds away from 'our' Earth, causing catastrophe as it moves. The book also deals with the effects of the explosion of available space on the people of Datum Earth and the new colonies and political movements that are spreading in the wake of Step Day.

Verdict:

Terry Pratchett is a favourite author of mine, and I was a little skeptical what this book would be like. I was pleasantly surprised and have really enjoyed this departure from Pratchett's normal writing

Rating: 5/5


"A Beautiful Friendship" by David Weber

Title: A Beautiful Friendship

Author: David Weber
Publisher: Baen

This is the full length novel of the short story previously published in the anthology "More than Honor".

Book One of the Star Kingdom saga.

Blurb:

Weber delivers the first entry in an original young adult science fiction adventure series, the Star Kingdom saga! Young teen Stephanie Harrington forms a telepathic bond with an intelligent alien treecat on a pioneer planet—and must fight for the freedom of her new friend and his species against highly-placed enemies determined to claim the world for humans only.

Stephanie Harrington always expected to be a forest ranger on her homeworld of Meyerdahl . . . until her parents relocated to the frontier planet of Sphinx in the far distant Star Kingdom of Manticore. It should have been the perfect new home --- a virgin wilderness full of new species of every sort, just waiting to be discovered. But Sphinx is a far more dangerous place than ultra-civilized Meyerdahl, and Stephanie’s explorations come to a sudden halt when her parents lay down the law: no trips into the bush without adult supervision!

Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries, and the biggest one of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species.

The forest-dwelling treecats are small, cute, smart, and have a pronounced taste for celery. And they are also very, very deadly when they or their friends are threatened . . . as Stephanie discovers when she comes face-to-face with Sphinx’s most lethal predator after a hang-gliding accident.

But her discoveries are only beginning, for the treecats are also telepathic and able to bond with certain humans, and Stephanie’s find --- and her first-of-its kind bond with the treecat Climbs Quickly --- land both of them in a fresh torrent of danger. Galactic-sized wealth is at stake, and Stephanie and the treecats are squarely in the path of highly placed enemies determined to make sure the planet Sphinx remains entirely in human hands, even if that means the extermination of another thinking species.

Unfortunately for those enemies, the treecats have saved Stephanie Harrington’s life. She owes them . . . and Stephanie is a young woman who stands by her friends.

Which means things are about to get very interesting on Sphinx.

Synopsis:

The story takes place in the year 1518 PD (Post Diaspora) or 3620 AD, approximately 382 years before the events of "On Basilisk Station". The story centers around the first treecat/human interaction on the planet sphinx.

Climbs Quickly, a young treecat scout of the Bright Water clan, ventures to a human settlement intrigued by the plant known to the treecats as "cluster stalk", a plant unlike any known to the 'cats, with a delicious taste.

Stephanie Harrington, an eleven-year-old girl whose family has recently migrated to Sphinx from the planet Meyerdahl is determined to find out who keeps stealing celery from greenhouses and gardens all over Sphinx.

In the middle of a nightime thunderstorm, Stephanie finally catches Climbs Quickly sneaking out of the greenhouse. The two young beings experience a moment of deep psychic connection, the first bonding between a human and a treecat has just occurred.

Wanting to know more about the treecat, Stephanie sets out to track them, with consequences she could not of thought could happen....Stephanie crashes her glider during a storm, and Climbs Quickly comes to her rescue, unfortunately a six legged beast sees Stephanie as a meal and between her and the treecat they battle for their lives.

Once this new species is public knowledge the rest of the Star Kingdom wants to know more about them, but it is not just the scientific community who are interested. Trade in obscure pets is lucrative, and the treecats are definitely obscure. What follows is how Stephanie and the scientists must protect the species.

Verdict:
At 384 pages this took me about 6 - 8 hours to read. The story flows easily and the short story that I previously read takes up about the first third of the novel. It is not just a reprint, but the author embelishes the short story and really does set the scene for the rest of the novel.

I enjoyed the story, however, the ending seemed a bit abrupt, almost as tho the deadline was looming and it had to be finished quickly. I'm hoping the second book will not dissapoint.

Rating: 4/5

"I am legend" by Richard Matheson

Title: I Am Legend

Author: Richard Matheson
Publisher: Orion Books Ltd

Blurb:

Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth . . . but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has become a vampire, and they are hungry for Neville's blood.

By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn.

How long can one man survive like this?

Synopsis:

Robert Neville has survived the plague that has turned the rest of humanity into vampires. Initially at the loss of his wife and daughter, Robert turns to the bottle. He hunts down vampires during the day and cowers in his house at night. As time progresses, he hunts to find a cure rather than simply trying to survive in this new world. By the end of the book, we find he is the last known human, "a legend", in the new vampire world.

Verdict:

Nothing like the film staring Will Smith, but really helps to explain things. In the film I thought they were types of Zombie, silly me. At about 160 pages, this was an enjoyable read, but a little monotonous in places. Honestly the film is a better story.

Rating: 4/5

"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card

Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Orbit

Blurb:

The human race faces annihilation.

An alien threat is on the horizon, ready to strike. And if humanity is to be defended, the government must create the greatest military commander in history.

The brilliant young Ender Wiggin is their last hope. But first he must survive the rigours of a brutal military training program - to prove that he can be the leader of all leaders.

A saviour for mankind must be produced, through whatever means possible. But are they creating a hero or a monster?

This is the multiple award-winning classic ENDER'S GAME - a groundbreaking tale of war, strategy and survival.

Synopsis:

Ender Wiggin, "third" child in a world where the population is controlled by only having two children, is a six year old genius. He has been allowed to exist only by the governments will in wanting a new military leader to combat the threat of an alien presence which nearly wiped humanity out over 50 years previous.

The book starts with Ender in school, fitted with a monitor device that records everything he sees and hears. After a while the monitor is removed to see how he copes and a fight ensues with a bully. Ender wins and the military want to know why he fought as he did. Satisfied with his answer they package him off to battle school in space. 

Over the next three years he forms friends and enemies commanding an army of boys till the military ship him off to command school. He learns how to fight with space craft until he is eleven when the military start him fighting simulated battles...

Verdict:

I first read this book when I was a teenager, it was great then and still stands the test of time now. An absolute pleasure to read at any age. The book makes you feel the highs and lows of Ender's childhood even tho it seems as tho his childhood has been stolen by the military. If you have seen the film, then read the book, there is so much missed in the film that the book fills in and I mean lots missed. 115 mins of film does not do the book justice.

Rating: 6/5

"A Beautiful Friendship" by David Weber (short story)

Title: More Than Honor

Author: David Weber
Publisher: Baen

This is the first short story in the book "More Than Honor" which is the first volume in the Worlds of Honor series in the Honorverse.

Synopsis:

The story takes place in the year 1518 PD (Post Diaspora) or 3620 AD, approximately 382 years before the events of "On Basilisk Station". The story centers around the first treecat/human interaction on the planet sphinx.

Climbs Quickly, a young treecat scout of the Bright Water clan, ventures to a human settlement intrigued by the plant known to the treecats as "cluster stalk", a plant unlike any known to the 'cats, with a delicious taste.

Stephanie Harrington, an eleven-year-old girl whose family has recently migrated to Sphinx from the planet Meyerdahl is determined to find out who keeps stealing celery from greenhouses and gardens all over Sphinx.

In the middle of a nightime thunderstorm, Stephanie finally catches Climbs Quickly sneaking out of the greenhouse. The two young beings experience a moment of deep psychic connection, the first bonding between a human and a treecat has just occurred.

Wanting to know more about the treecat, Stephanie sets out to track them, with consequences she could not of thought could happen....

Verdict:

This story took me a little over two hours to read and is well written. The story stands on its own merit, with no knowledge needed about David Weber's Honorverse. It was an enjoyable sunday afternoon read.

Rating: 4/5

"By The Book" by Charles E. Gannon (short story)

Title: Beginnings

Author: David Weber
Publisher: Baen

This is the first short story in the book "Beginnings" which is the sixth volume in the Worlds of Honor series in the Honorverse.

Synopsis:

The story takes place in the year 2352, (1650 years before the events of "On Basilisk Station"). It centers around Lieutenant Lee Strong of the Earth Union Customs Patrol, whose current mission as the story starts is to board a hijacked space liner on the outskirts of the Sol System's asteroid belt. The story develops into understanding the earths future history and political strifes up to 2354, the politically split Earth Union is divided between two factions, whom do not have a common agenda.

Without giving the story away, Lee Strong has to discover who is behind the hijacking and the wider implications that are behind it. He must decide where his political allegiance lies and what if anything he is going to about them.

Verdict:

This story took me a little over an hour to read and is well written. If I did not know anythng about David Weber's Honorverse, it would not make a single difference as the story stands on its own merits. What this does do is set up an area for David Weber or other authors to fill in the gap between mankind living in our own solar system and the point where we are colonising the galaxy.

Rating: 4/5