Containment by Christian Cantrell

Posted by tjhapney on May 31, 2013
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ContainmentOriginal Review posted February 18, 2012

Description: As the Earth’s ability to support human life begins to diminish at an alarming rate, the Global Space Agency is formed with a single mandate: protect humanity from extinction by colonizing the solar system as quickly as possible. Venus, being almost the same mass as Earth, is chosen over Mars as humanity’s first permanent steppingstone into the universe.

Arik Ockley is part of the first generation to be born and raised off-Earth. After a puzzling accident, Arik wakes up to find that his wife is almost three months pregnant. Since the colony’s environmental systems cannot safely support any increases in population, Arik immediately resumes his work on AP, or artificial photosynthesis, in order to save the life of his unborn child. Arik’s new and frantic research uncovers startling truths about the planet, and about the distorted reality the founders of the colony have constructed for Arik’s entire generation. Everything Arik has ever known is called into question, and he must figure out the right path for himself, his wife, and his unborn daughter.

Review 5 of 5 Stars:

Wow! Let me start by saying that I know I’m a science geek. My greatest challenge in writing this review is not to gush on what I’ve just finished reading and give it away with spoilers. So, I’m going to try to keep it simple. The main character was easy to relate to, the science was intriguing, and I loved the problem-solving aspect of the book as a whole. It was witty, had twists, mystery, deception and intrigue all wrapped into a great story. About 3/4 of the way through the book, I was hoping that my assumptions were correct about what was really happening as I sped forward to the conclusion. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was when I tapped the screen the last time and there were no more pages. I tapped it twice more just to make sure. All in all this was a great read if you enjoy science fiction that is really based on science.

Serengeti by Peter Cawdron

Posted by tjhapney on May 31, 2013
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serengetiOriginally reviewed on Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Description: Serengeti is the first of three novellas exploring alternatives to the Rare Earth Hypothesis in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

The Serengeti is a generation star-ship, venturing out above the Milky Way, searching for signs of alien intelligence. The crew discover far more about the nature of sentient life than they imagined possible.
Review – 4 of 5 Stars:

I’d previously read Anomaly and had really enjoyed it. So, I was excited to read Serengeti. As I had hoped, Peter Cawdron did a good job writing Serengeti and it caught my interest right away. It suited me fine that it was heavy on science as it explored whether man should search for other life in the universe, among other things. I very much enjoy stories that make me think so the fact that it wasn’t an action story did not bother me in the least. I especially liked that in addition to the scientific question being explored, it explored the reactions and feelings of the characters as they were faced with the reality of their small part in this ongoing project. There was plenty to think about. I’m also a sucker for a science fiction love story, even a heavily cerebral one. I read the whole thing in about two hours. I realize this novella is the first of the series, but it seemed as if it could have benefited from being expanded a bit more. I’m hoping that Mr. Cawdron will give us a little more story in the next one. I’m intrigued by what might have happened next. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed what I read and look forward to seeing the next one in the series.

The Fringe Worlds (The Human Chronicles – Book One) by T.R. Harris

Posted by tjhapney on May 31, 2013
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The Fringe WorldsOriginal review posted Sunday, February 12, 2012

Description: Adam Cain is an alien with an Attitude!

After all, how would you feel if you were abducted by aliens and transported into a strange, new universe away from your home, your family — everything familiar to you? Would it make you happy? Not likely!

Now imagine you’re stronger, faster and more coordinated than every alien you encounter. Would you start kicking some ass? Of course you would!

This is the story of Human superiority in the galaxy, a gritty, realistic profile of a young Navy SEAL who doesn’t like aliens very much — and he makes them pay for disrupting his happy life back on Earth!

Review – 4 of 5 Stars:
An interesting romp through the galaxy.

All in all this wasn’t bad for light reading. It moved along at a pretty good clip for a book that was trying to set up for future books. The writing was good, the characters were interesting enough and it did offer a little different viewpoint of humans out in the universe. At times, though, it seemed like the author had watched a little too much Farscape during the writing process. Since that thought kept running through my head while I was reading it, I’m mentioning it here. I’m not going to go into why self-published authors should pay close attention to the editing process since it doesn’t really affect the storyline. Having said that, there’s every possibility that I’ll read the next one just to find out what happened. I basically liked it, but have other books to finish before I get back to the series.

Tabloid Reporter to the Stars by Eric James Stone

Posted by tjhapney on May 31, 2013
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Description: Lawrence Jensen is a disgraced science reporter forced to earn a living working for a tabloid. Then he wins the lottery to pick the journalist who will go on mankind’s first interstellar mission. It’s his shot at redemption — but can he ever overcome his past?
Originally reviewed on Sunday, February 12, 2012

Review – 3.5 of 5 Stars:
As you can probably tell from the title this wasn’t a masterpiece of modern fiction to be passed down through the years, but it was fun. The writing was pretty good and all things considered I was not sorry that I had read it. It was fairly cheesy, but made me smile on more than one occasion and I did manage to make it all the way to the end.

Anomaly by Peter Cawdron

Posted by tjhapney on May 31, 2013
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Original review: Sunday, February 12, 2012

anomalyDescription: Anomaly examines the prospect of an alien intelligence discovering life on Earth. The technological gulf between mankind and the alien species is measured in terms of millions of years. The only way to communicate is using science, but not everyone is so patient.

Mankind’s first contact with an alien intelligence is far more radical than anyone has ever dared imagine. With a technological gap of millions of years, mankind is barely able to recognize the arrival of an alien space craft outside the gates of the United Nations in New York.

Review – 5 of 5 Stars:

I found Anomaly randomly when I was looking for something to read at lunch one day and consider it a fantastic purchase. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I’m currently reading Serengeti, another book by Peter Cawdron that I’m sure I’ll be reviewing here when I’ve finished. The characters and hero of the book were vibrant, every day people, which greatly added to its charm and interest level in my opinion.

Anomaly was a great science fiction book. I loved that it was so different from other books I’ve read. It was truly original and fresh. The writing was tight and compact and I was especially intrigued by how the world as a whole reacted to the discovery of Earth by an alien intelligence that was patient enough to wait for us to learn about it. It was a smart book, rather than an action novel and I found it really difficult to put down. If you enjoy intelligent, fresh, speculative science fiction that makes you think, this book is for you!

I read to be entertained. If you share that view, then Peter Cawdron is definitely an author to watch for in the future.

Additional comments:

Since reading this book, I’ve read other books by Peter Cawdron as he has progressed as a writer, but I stand by the 5 stars because I loved the concept and how different it was from other books I’d read.

Revisiting some favorite books…

Posted by tjhapney on May 31, 2013
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Original review posted: February 20, 2013

Every year around my birthday I try to go back and revisit some of my favorite books.  This year I thought I’d share my birthday picks for the year from some of my lifetime favorites.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a children’s classic.  It’s a beautifully written tale of friendship, believing in yourself, and how being positive not only garners you more friends, but makes you a more pleasant person inside and out as Mary and Colin both learn along the way. The imagery in this book is fantastic and I’ve always loved that you not only get to experience the tale from the viewpoint of the human characters, but also from Dickon’s robin friend and his mate as they watch the children in the garden. It’s no secret (no pun intended) that this is truly a magical book for children and full of good advice about getting outside, playing, being healthy and how generally wonderful it is to be alive. It’s still a fantastic read when you’re older as it’s an uplifting and well-written story.
Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey is one of my all-time favorite books and I’ve read the cover off of more than one copy. The first in a trilogy, it is the beginning of Killashandra Ree’s tale, a young woman who goes from being disappointed as a university music student on her home planet of Fuerte to being a member of the Heptite Guild on Ballybran, the home of “crystal singers” as they are nicknamed due to the need for perfect pitch to tune their infrasonic cutters. When I was younger I could think of no better job and story to be a part of than this one and would have gladly signed on for a chance at the adventure. The following books in this sci-fi trilogy are Killashandra and Crystal Line. I love the series as a whole, but Crystal Singer is my favorite from the group and the one I’ve purchased the most replacements for when the old ones have fallen apart from too much reading.
Darkover Landfall by Marion Zimmer Bradley.  This is the first book (chronologically) in the Darkover series.  The umpteen (20+) books in this series explore a fantastic world and it’s culture and is a great sci-fi/fantasy blend. This is a short tale of how it all began and one of my all time favorites. As always, with any long-standing series there’s some contention over which book is the best, but this is one of my favorites. I really like the concept of the Ghost Wind, etc.  Anyway, the series as a whole is fantastic and I suggest reading in its entirety.  Another favorite is Hawkmistress, but that wasn’t a birthday choice this year.  There’s so much story to be had in the Darkover universe. I definitely suggest a visit there if you haven’t read these previously.
So there they are, the books I revisited for my birthday.  I hope everyone has had a great February and that you too take the time to revisit your favorite books when time allows or perhaps make some new favorites.