Much of the novel portrays events, conspiracies, and betrayals that, in ancient Rome at least, could never be overcome by “trying to do the right thing.”
All in Fiction
Andy Weir’s THE MARTIAN
This novel shows better than most what it’s like to “work the problem” and how it pays be creative, smart, disciplined, and brave
Todd Tucker's COLLAPSE DEPTH
COLLAPSE DEPTH is one of the first thrillers I’ve read in a long time.
Richard Foreman’s “SWORD OF EMPIRE: CENTURION”
The SWORD OF EMPIRE series of short novels follows the exploits of centurion Gaius Oppius Maximus, chief military troubleshooter to emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Robert Harris’ “IMPERIUM”
What’s amazing about this novel is that so much is based on fact.
Richard Foreman's SWORD OF EMPIRE: PRAETORIAN
SWORD OF EMPIRE: PRAETORIAN is a fast and entertaining read.
Benford & Brin's HEART OF THE COMET
The scale and scope of the operation are huge. Hundreds of crew are sent in deep sleep while a smaller “first shift” prepares the massive ball of ancient ice for human habitation. The authors think through the physics and the logistics of such a massive operation and make you believe — almost — that something like this might really work.
C.S. Forester's THE SHIP
Forester’s message is pretty transparent, though: high class are low, educated or not, smalltown or urban, young or old — all have parts to play in the well oiled war machine that cares less about class than about performance.
Josh Barkan's BEFORE HIROSHIMA: THE CONFESSION OF MURAYAMA KAZUO (Short Story)
This short story looks at the events leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima from the perspective of a young Japanese intelligence officer who pieces together evidence of what’s coming. Unfortunately, no one’s believes him.
Junot Díaz' THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO
My main impression: everyone has a story and a family history. We should take the time to listen and learn about the people we meet, especially when they come from somewhere else. Until we do that our judgments about them are incomplete.
Stephen King's UNDER THE DOME
I haven’t tried to read anything by King in over 20 years. The last time I tried I found his writing to be pedestrian and uninteresting. UNDER THE DOME is different.
C. J. Box's “COLD WIND”
This is the third or fourth Joe Pickett novel I’ve read. It’s not one of the best.
Bernard Cornwell's AZINCOURT
Nick Hook is an archer in Henry V’s army. The events in this novel go from 1413 to 1415 and follow Hook as Henry’s army invades France to assert his claim to the French throne.
Dan Simmons' ILIUM
While I would not put this in the same class as my favorites by Stephenson (e.g., Diamond Age) and Vinge (e.g., A Deepness in the Sky) it’s still pretty darn good and I look forward to the sequel.
Charles Portis' TRUE GRIT
I’ve never seen the True Grit movies. Till I ran across this book at a yard sale I was never even aware of the novel’s existence. But when you need a Western, as I sometimes do, this appears to be just what the doctor ordered.
Patrick O'Brian's THE REVERSE OF THE MEDAL
I put off reading this book. Frankly, I’ve grown so attached to Aubrey and Maturin that I was not looking forward to the career disaster and legal troubles I knew were about to befall Jack.
Peter F. Hamilton's THE TEMPORAL VOID
I love space opera, but I’m probably not going to read Book Number Three in this series.
Peter F. Hamilton's THE DREAMING VOID
It’s over 1,000 years since the events described in Pandora’s Star. Investigator Paula Myo is still around and is tied into the fractious digital overmind that thinks it rules the galaxy. Unfortunately her personality is more cryptic than ever and she contributes little to the story.
Graham Greene's OUR MAN IN HAVANA
This is a grim but witty tale of Cold War skullduggery in pre-revolution Cuba. An expatriate British vacuum cleaner salesman whose teenage daughter has expensive tastes agrees to serve as a paid informer for the British secret service. He starts inventing agents and intelligence reports in order to pad his monthly expense reports.
Osamu Tezuka's PHOENIX: A TALE OF THE FUTURE
The artwork is nowhere near the level of detail and sophistication present in the author’s Buddha graphic novel series, but the story’s scope is vast. It begins in the year 3404 when the human race is decaying. The periodic intervention of the mystical Phoenix is all that stands in the way of total physical collapse of the Earth.