The Copernicus Legacy – Book 1: The Forbidden Stone – By Tony Abbott

April.2.2018March.12.2018 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderFantasy, Science Fiction, Tony Abbott, YouthLeave a comment

Hiya Jared,

This is one of those Youth/Teen adventure series in the vein of Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, Alcatraz, and Ranger’s Apprentice. You know the type. There are kind of a dime-a-dozen, so the good ones really need to standout or they just get swamped. This one is right on the edge.

Title: The Forbidden Stone
Series: The Copernicus; Book 1
Author: Tony Abbott
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: CU, present day, astronomy
Synopsis: It all began when four friends-Wade, Lily, Darrel, and Becca-received a strange, coded email from Wade’s uncle Henry shortly before the old man’s sudden death. They set off for Germany to attend the funeral with Wade’s father, Roald, and discover that Uncle Henry left them yet another baffling message that they suspect is the key to figuring out how and why he died. The message leads to a clue, and the more clues they discover, the farther they travel down a treacherous path toward an ancient, guarded secret. Soon they are in a breathless race across the globe, running for their lives as a dangerous shadow organization chases them around every corner. Their only hope of saving themselves-and the world that they know-is to find twelve magical relics from a hidden past that will unlock the Copernicus Legacy.
Recommendation: A decent read, and good for younger readers.

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Animorphs – Book 8: The Alien – By K. A. Applegate

March.26.2018 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderAnimorphs, K. A. Applegate, Science Fiction, YouthLeave a comment

Hi Jared,

This might be one of the most useful books to the series. Maybe not the best, but a lot happens in a very short amount of time.

Title: The Alien
Series: Animorphs; Book 8
Author: K. A. Applegate
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: CU, Modern, Aliens
Synopsis: What would you do if you were the only alien trapped on a strange planet? Probably freak out, right? Well, that’s what Ax feels like doing. But as an Andalite warrior-cadet, he has to be pretty cool about stuff like that. He’s been hanging out with the Animorphs ever since the Dome ship was destroyed by the Yeerks and his brother, Prince Elfangor, was destroyed by Visser Three. Life on Earth is pretty different for Ax. But there is one thing he, Cassie, Marco, Jake, Rachel, and Tobias have in common. Something that one alien, four kids and a hawk know they have to do: stop the Yeerks…
Recommendation: Highly recommend this series.

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Barsoom Series – Book 1: A Princess of Mars – By Edgar Rice Burroughs

March.23.2018March.12.2018 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderAdult, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Fantasy, Science Fiction3 Comments

Hey Jared,

John Carter is a classic, and this first book has been published for over 100 years. When I saw the movie, which wasn’t that great, it made me want to read the books because I could see what it might be. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Title: A Princess of Mars
Series: Barsoom; Book 1
Author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU/AU, Mars, Aliens
Synopsis: Her oval face was beautiful in the extreme, her every feature finely chisled and exquisite, her eyes large and lustrous and her head surmounted by a mass of coal black, waving hair, caught loosely into a strange yet becoming coiffure. Similar in face and figure to women of Earth, she was nevertheless a true Martian–and prisoner of the fierce green giants who held me captive, as well!
Recommendation: Highly recommended!

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Foreigner Universe – Book 3: Inheritor – By C. J. Cherryh

March.9.2018March.8.2018 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderAdult, C. J. Cherryh, Science FictionLeave a comment

Nadi Jared,

I still question his sanity…. but Bren Cameron may not be that bad of a character after all.

Title: Inheritor
Series: Foreigner Universe; Book 3
Author: C. J. Cherryh
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: Distant-Future, Colonization, FTL, Aliens
Synopsis: Six months have passed since the reappearance of the starship Phoenix—the same ship which brought a colony of humans to the hostile environment of alien atevi nearly two hundred years ago. During these six months, the atevi have reconfigured their fledgling space program in a bid to take their place in the heavens alongside humans. But the return of the Phoenix has added a frighteningly powerful third party to an already volatile situation, polarizing both human and atevi political factions, and making the possibility of all-out planetary war an even more likely threat. On the atevi mainland, human ambassador Bren Cameron, in a desperate attempt to maintain the peace, has arranged for one human representative from the Phoenix to take up residence with him in his apartments, and for another to be stationed on Mosphiera, humanity’s island enclave. Bren himself is unable to return home for fear of being arrested or assassinated by the powerful arch conservative element who wish to bar the atevi from space. Desperately trying to keep abreast of the atevi associations, how can Bren possibly find a way to save two species from a three-sided conflict that no one can win?
Recommendation: Highly recommended!

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DNF – Communication Failure by Joe Zieja

February.27.2018February.24.2018 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderAdult, DNF, Joe Zieja, Science Fiction2 Comments

communicationfailure I really enjoyed the first book. It was the right mix of absurd, hilarious and sci-fi tropes. Sadly, what was once charming and unique has taken too far. Something closer to slapstick. The main character also seemed to be less of a character and more a handy device in which to hang all the insanity.

It’s also entirely possibly I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I can accept that. Whatever the reason, I’m done.

Robert

REPLY – ALL SYSTEMS RED – BY MARTHA WELLS

February.21.2018February.13.2018 JaredReply, Science Fiction1 Comment

Hey Robert,

all systems red

I’m glad you recommended this book even though I couldn’t find it as an audiobook it only took like 5 hours to read and I don’t even read that fast.

So Murderbot is definitely the most interesting character. That is interesting, not likable. Relateable but also not likable. Murderbot has an interesting perspective of being non-gendered as well as being a slave to humans. It is actually kinda funny that with the freedom it has it chooses to watch tv with. So basically Murderbot is a millennial.

The rest of the characters are just kinda there, a backdrop for Murderbot’s feelings. Most of the plot is also just kinda there, not all that interesting or important.

The world could be amazing, but we just get this snapshot. More hints than many real details and I hope book two really lets us sink our teeth in and learn about this world. Could it continue with Murderbot, maybe? I’m just not sure if they can really bring around the change in its attitude to make it have some kind of interesting plot. Could we have a new character and Murderbot be a secondary character? Definately.

All in all, I look forward to seeing where this series goes.

Jared

REPLY – THE MARTIAN – BY ANDY WEIR

February.14.2018February.13.2018 JaredAudiobook, Fiction, Science FictionLeave a comment

Hey Robert,

Like you I really liked the Martian by Andy

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Weir. You talked about it being a good or great book I argue it was just a fun book. I have already watched The Martian film starring Matt Daemon. The movie was really interesting and funny and honestly now having read the book I feel it was a pretty faithful interpretation of the book. The book just goes into more detail and expands the story more I was totally prepared to find the book boring because I already knew what would happen but it was just as interesting and exciting as I expected. I liked how dark the book was in some parts. Like when the crew it talking about what they would do if they missed the resupply rocket. How they would kill themselves and just one would go on eating the rest of the crew to survive and rescue Mark Watney.

You are right the plot is a weak point. But not as bad as other books, I didn’t feel cheated by the Deus ex machina surprise Chinese rocket. What shocked me was that there was no epilog. “Yep, we’ve got Watney” The End. Nothing about the trip home or even what was going on a year later nothing.

Of course, because science Mark Watney would never have survived there are chemicals in soil that would make growing potatoes impossible.

Bobivese – Book 1: We Are Legion (We Are Bob) – By Dennis E. Taylor

February.7.2018March.1.2018 JaredDennis E. Taylor, Science Fiction, Teen1 Comment

So I found this book on audible and it looked kinda interesting, what really sold me was the Sample of the book which talked about Bob who waking up can remember being hit by a car but nothing after. He attempts to talk with a shrink who was waiting for him to wake up. Unfortunately, he is talking with a synthesized voice. What happens next is amazing.

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Title: We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
Series: Bobivese; Book 1
Author: Dennis E. Taylor
Genre: Sci-Fi
Audience: Teen
ROTS Setting: Future
Synopsis: Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it’s a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he’ll be switched off, and they’ll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty.
The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad – very mad.
Recommendation: I would definitely recommend this book.

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The Four Thousand, The Eight Hundred By Greg Egan

January.26.2018January.26.2018 Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulderAdult, Greg Egan, Science FictionLeave a comment

Hey Jared,

Another short read, but not as good as the last one.

Title: The Four Thousand, The Eight Hundred
Author: Greg Egan
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU, Distant Future, Space Colonization
Synopsis: Camille is desperate to escape her home on colonized asteroid Vesta, journeying through space in a small cocoon pod covertly and precariously attached to a cargo ship. Anna is a newly appointed port director on asteroid Ceres, intrigued by the causes that have led so-called riders like Camille to show up at her post in search of asylum. Conditions on Vesta are quickly deteriorating—for one group of people in particular. The original founders agreed to split profits equally, but the Sivadier syndicate contributed intellectual property rather than more valued tangible goods. Now the rest of the populace wants payback. As Camille travels closer to Ceres, it seems ever more likely that Vesta will demand the other asteroid stop harboring its fugitives.
Recommendation: Recommended but only barely.

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THE RITHMATIST – BOOK 1: THE RITHMATIST SERIES – BY BRANDON SANDERSON

January.19.2018January.18.2018 LisaBrandon Sanderson, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult2 Comments

Hello all!

First things first- we all made it to 2018! I feel like I probably haven’t posted since I lost a kidney… but during recovery and since then, I have read many books, maybe even while I should have been studying. What can I say? Books are my brain food.

Title: The Rithmatist
Series: The Rithmatist Series
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy
Audience: YA
ROTS Setting: Alternate Reality, Magic, Clockwork
Synopsis: More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings—merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.

As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing—kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery—one that will change Rithmatics—and their world—forever.

Recommendation: I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Teens or older.

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