Entries Categorized as 'Science Fiction'

Circles of Seven

Our rating:*****

Incredibook! Older Readers

Circles of Seven: Volume 3 of Dragons in our Midst (Dragons in Our Midst) (Paperback)
by Bryan Davis
ISBN: 0899571727

Price: USD 10.19
54 used & new available from USD 6.01

Picking up several months after The Candlestone, Circles of Seven finds Billy and Bonnie about to enter an evil realm of seven circles. In the seventh circle Billy must set free some prisoners, but he knows that there are also false prisoners that must not be released. After he and Bonnie enter the circles, however, Professor Hamilton and his friends discover that the realm is filled with evil New Table knights. Convinced that it’s not fair for Billy and Bonnie to be alone while swarms of bad guys populate the realm, Ashley and Walter try to help in whatever ways they can from the outside.

Trust me, this one moves fast. It has to in order to fit such an in-depth story into 415 pages! As usual Billy and Bonnie get into danger left and right, making you sit farther on the edge of your seat than you already are. Don’t despair when it seems hopeless for the story to come to a happy ending, and you’ll be just fine. Make sure you have Tears of a Dragon close at hand when you finish Circles of Seven, because you’re going to want it.

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (5 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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The Kip Brothers

Our rating:**

Advanced Readers

The Kip Brothers (Early Classics of Science Fiction) (Hardcover)
by Jules Verne
ISBN: 0819567043

Price: USD 21.86
28 used & new available from USD 12.45

The English brig James Cook, under the command of Captain Gibson, carries out costal trading in the Pacific waters off the coast of New Zealand. Unbeknownst to the Captain, his bosun Flig Balt and a no-good sailor called Vin Mod are plotting a mutiny. Between the two of them, they manage to infiltrate the crew with ruffians who have agreed to help them murder Captian Gibson and anyone who sides with him. The would-be mutineers have the advantage until the James Cook picks up two Dutch castaways, Karl and Peter Kip. Angered by the Kip brothers’ interference, Flig and Vin decide to carry out their plan with one small modification: To pin the murder on the Kips. Trapped by a mound of evidence (provided by the wily Vin Mod), the Kip brothers are convicted and sentenced to hard labor for life in the penal colony of Port Arthur. Can Mr. Hawkins, the only friend the Kips have left, find some scrap of material proof that they are innocent?

Frankly, I was a bit disappointed in this one. It was easy to put down, and rather repetitive. Of course, it might be the translation, as it was originally written in French, but then Verne was French, so one would assume all his books were originally in French. The ending caught me by surprise. It was scientific, but strange-sounding to the point of improbability. There were sections about the history of some of the islands in that area, which might be interesting to anyone wanting to know the times they were discovered and by whom.

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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That Hideous Strength

Our rating:*****

Advanced Readers Incredibook!

That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, Book 3) (Paperback)
by C.S. Lewis
ISBN: 0743234928

Price: USD 10.17
89 used & new available from USD 3.98

Mark Studdok’s love for his work, no, his love for being part of some important proceeding, has kept him away from home so much that his wife, Jane, is regretting ever marrying him. She has begun having very disturbing dreams, which are interfering with her goal of remaining a capable business woman. A company called the N.I.C.E. (National Institute for Coordinated Experiments) has made the college Mark works at an offer for a piece of land called “The Wood.” Mark joins the “progressive” side that wishes to sell the land, as the N.I.C.E.’s wish to bring their headquarters there would greatly benefit the college. So the land is sold and within days, workmen begin cutting down the wood, turning people out of their homes and generally creating havoc. What does Mark care? Lord Feverstone, another member of the college, (you may remember him as Doctor Divine from the first book) has offered him a job with the N.I.C.E. Mark accepts and finds himself engrossed in a dark world of intrigue, agendas, and a complete disregard for all humane feelings.
Meanwhile, Jane discovers that her dreams are actually coming true. She talks with a friend about it, who introduces her to a group of people dedicated to fighting the evil that the N.I.C.E. has brought about. But the group is small. How can it hope to succeed? They can do very little. Meanwhile, they wait, now doubting, now sure, while that Hideous Strength grows stronger.

I sat down to try and condense this amazing book into a summary and goodnight! It just doesn’t condense! That was the gist of it, but there’s so much more. Mark discovers that the N.I.C.E. is actually run by dark forces, and… Whew, it makes a tingle run up my spine just to think about it. This is a great book. As a warning, if you don’t handle mad scientist well, be careful with this story. There are some pretty detailed descriptions of the absolutely disgusting results of an experiment on a dead man. The N.I.C.E. is all about getting rid of red tape and being allowed to do whatever it wants to do. This is not in any way a “light and fluffy” storyline, but it’s hard to put down. The Meeting in the first chapter might bog you down, but don’t worry–it picks up quickly after that.

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (No Ratings Yet)
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A Wrinkle in Time

Our rating:**½

Older Readers

A Wrinkle in Time (Paperback)
by Madeleine L’Engle
ISBN: 0312367546

Price: USD 6.99
97 used & new available from USD 3.17

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Meg Murry’s father has been missing for years. All the family knows is that he went on a mission for the government. They have almost given up hope of his return, when three odd ladies, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, move into a supposedly haunted house. The three of them take Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin on a trip through space to rescue their father.

Although far from being L’Engle’s best book, A Wrinkle in Time is well worth reading. Older readers will pick up on the depth of the story, while younger readers will simply enjoy reading as the plot unfolds. I found that the characters weren’t as deep as in some of L’Engle’s other work, but that is to be expected, since this is one of her first books. Some parts of the story are just plain weird, and some are a little bit off theology-wise, but when taken with a grain of salt, A Wrinkle in Time shines through as a brilliant tale.

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
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Perelandra

Our rating:****

Advanced Readers

Perelandra (Space Trilogy, Book 2) (Paperback)
by C.S. Lewis
ISBN: 074323491X

Price: USD 10.40
94 used & new available from USD 4.75

Picking up right where Out of the Silent Planet leaves off, Perelandra finds Dr. Ransom preparing to go to space again. But this time, he’s headed for Venus (or Perelandra). Once he lands, Ransom discovers that Perelandra is a newly created world which still exists in a Eden-like innocence. However, this new created state won’t last forever, especially when Professor Weston shows up once again. Ransom must stop Weston from corrupting Perelandra before it’s too late.

I normally think of C. S. Lewis as the guy who wrote Narnia. Big misconception. He wrote much more, and this particular trilogy is just as good. I found that Perelandra dragged a bit at the beginning and end, but picked up in the middle enough to compensate for that. Some bits of the story are quite funny, although not nearly enough to leave you in stitches the whole way through. I must mention that I have enjoyed the third and final book, That Hideous Strength much more than the first two. But as I’ve always experienced with Lewis’ books, this one’s a definite keeper.

Why did I read it?Could have been betterAverageFantastic!Incredibook! (5 votes, average: 2.8 out of 5)
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