Anderson, Kevin J
Star Wars: Darksaber
Anderton, Craig
Electronic Projects for Musicians
Projects for Guitarists
Asprin, Robert
Myth #1: Another Fine Myth
Myth #2: Myth Conceptions
Myth #3: Myth Directions
Barber, Barrington
Complete Introduction to Drawing, The
Barker, Clive
Hellbound Heart, The
Beinhart, Larry
Salvation Boulevard
Benchley, Peter
Jaws
Billings, John D
Hard Tack and Coffee
Blandford, Neil & Jones, Bruce
World's Most Evil Men, The
Bonano, Margaret Wander
Star Trek: TOS--Strangers From the Sky
Brewer, Gene
K-PAX
On a Beam of Light
Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 01: Storm Front
Dresden Files 02: Fool Moon
Dresden Files 03: Grave Peril
Dresden Files 04: Summer Knight
Dresden Files 05: Death Masks
Dresden Files 06: Blood Rites
Dresden Files 07: Dead Beat
Dresden Files 08: Proven Guilty
Dresden Files 09: White Night
Dresden Files 10: Small Favor
Dresden Files 11: Turn Coat
Dresden Files 12: Changes
Dresden Files 13: Ghost Story
Quickie: The Dresden Files (Series)
Carey, Diane
Star Trek: TOS--Final Frontier
Star Trek--TOS #31 Battlestations!
Star Trek--TOS 29: Dreadnought!
Chaikin, Andrew
Man on the Moon, A
Chandler, Raymond
Bay City Blues (short story)
Curtain, The (short story)
Farewell, My Lovely
Finger Man (short story)
Goldfish (short story)
Killer in the Rain (short story)
Lady in the Lake, The (short story)
Man Who Liked Dogs, The (short story)
Mandarin's Jade (short story)
No Crime in the Mountains (short story)
Red Wind (short story)
Trouble Is My Business (collection)
Trouble is my Business (short story)
Try the Girl (short story)
Clancy, Tom
Without Remorse
Clarke, Arthur C
2001: A Space Odyssey
2010: Odyssey 2
2061: Odyssey Three
3001: Final Odyssey
Crispin, AC
Star Trek--TOS #39: Time for Yesterday
Star Trek--TOS #8 Yesterday's Son
Daley, Brian
Solo 01--Han Solo at Star's End
Solo 02--Han Solo's Revenge
Solo 03--Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
David, Peter
Star Trek: TNG Imzadi
Star Trek: TNG--Vendetta
de Quesada, Alejandro
Quickie: A History of Florida Forts
Dillard, JM
Star Trek--TOS: The Lost Years
Donato, Ray
Rush (Guitar Superstar Series)
Feynman, Richard
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
Foster, Alan Dean
Alien
Aliens
Splinter of the Mind's Eye
Friedman, Michael J
Star Trek--TOS #45: Double, Double
Gardner, Craig Shaw
Back to the Future II
Gilman, George
Edge: 01 The Loner
Gipe, George
Back to the Future
Glover, Thomas
Pocket Ref (3e)
Graham, Brad & McGowan, Kathy
101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius
51 High-Tech Practical Jokes for the Evil Genius
Hammett, Dashiell
Maltese Falcon, The
Hitchens, Christopher
God Is Not Great
Hooker, Richard
M*A*S*H
Jenkins, Dennis & Frank, Jorge
Apollo 11 Moon Landing: 40th Anniversary Photographic Retrospective, The
Kim, Ashida
Forbidden Fighting Techniques of the Ninja
Krutein, Wernher
American Lighthouses
Lackey, Mercedes
Bard's Tale 1--Castle of Deception
Tregarde 01: Burning Water
Tregarde 02: Children of the Night
Tregarde 03: Jinx High
Valdemar (series)
Valdemar 01: The Black Gryphon
Valdemar 02: The White Gryphon
Valdemar 03: The Silver Gryphon
Valdemar 04: Magic's Pawn
Valdemar 05: Magic's Promise
Valdemar 06: Magic's Price
Valdemar 07: Brightly Burning
Valdemar 08: The Oathbound
Valdemar 09: Oathbreakers
Valdemar 10: Oathblood
Valdemar 11: Exile's Honor
Valdemar 12: Exile's Valor
Valdemar 13: Take a Thief
Valdemar 14: Arrows of the Queen
Valdemar 15: Arrow's Flight
Valdemar 16: Arrow's Fall
Valdemar 17: By the Sword
Valdemar 18: Winds of Fate
Valdemar 19: Winds of Change
Valdemar 20: Winds of Fury
Lamm, John
Quickie: DeLorean: Stainless Steel Illusion
Leonard, Elmore
Maximum Bob
Pronto
Levy, Matthys & Salvadori, Mario
Why Buildings Fall Down
Linford, Jenny
Lighthouses
Martin, George RR
Quickie: A Song of Ice and Fire (series)
SIF 01: A Game of Thrones
SIF 02: A Clash of Kings
SIF 03: A Storm of Swords
SIF 04: A Feast for Crows
McCarthy, Cormac
No Country for Old Men
Meyer, Kathleen
How to Shit in the Woods
Mitchell, VE
Star Trek #65--Windows on a Lost World
Morgan-Griffiths, Lauris
Ansel Adams: Landscapes of the American West
Morwood, Peter
Star Trek: TOS #48--Rules of Engagement
Nance, John J
Final Approach
Oltion, Jerry
Star Trek: TOS 081 Mudd in your Eye
Penfold, RA
Electronic Projects for Guitar
Rauch, Earl Mac
Buckaroo Banzai
Reeves-Stevens, Judith & Garfield
Star Trek: Federation
Star Trek: TOS Prime Directive
Roach, Mary
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Ross, Michael
Getting Great Guitar Sounds
Sagan, Carl
Demon-Haunted World, The
Scott, Justin
Shipkiller, The
Sherman, Josepha
Bard's Tale 2--The Chaos Gate
Sinclair, Upton
Jungle, The
Stackpole, Michael
Star Wars: I, Jedi
Straub, Peter
Floating Dragon
Takahashi, Rumiko
Quickie: Ranma 1/2 (series)
Thayer, James
Terminal Event
Toole, JK
Confederacy of Dunces, A
Unknown
Rush Complete (2 volumes) and Deluxe Anthology
Various
Quickie: Star Wars: New Jedi Order (series)
Weaver, John
Quickie: A Legacy in Brick and Stone
Weinstein, Howard
Star Trek--TNG #06 Power Hungry
Wels, Susan
Pearl Harbor: America's Darkest Day
Wilson, F Paul
Keep, The
Zahn, Timothy
Star Wars: Hand of Thrawn 01--Spectre of the Past
Star Wars: Hand of Thrawn 02--Vision of the Future
Star Wars: Thrawn 01--Heir to the Empire
Star Wars: Thrawn 02--Dark Force Rising
Star Wars: Thrawn 03: The Last Command
Zelazny, Roger
Amber 01: Nine Princes in Amber
Amber 01: Nine Princes in Amber (short review)
Amber 02: The Guns of Avalon
Amber 02: The Guns of Avalon (short review)
Amber 03: Sign of the Unicorn
Amber 03: Sign of the Unicorn
Amber 04: The Hand of Oberon
Amber 05: The Courts of Chaos
Quickie: Chronicles of Amber, The (Series)
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Star Trek: Federation (Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens)
Star Trek: Federation (Reeves-Stevens, Judith & Garfield)
Rating: 4/5
Date: 1995
Read again? Yes.
Warnings: None
Yet another Star Trek "Giant Novel." Yes, I'm avoiding the series stuff, getting the good stuff (or what I remember as good) first. I'll suffer for it later, like when I get to Sonni Cooper's "Black Fire," which I'm afraid George Lucas will buy the movie rights for--I mean, the suck's already there, so he won't have to add any of his own, which is good because he used so much of it in the 4th Indiana Jones movie.
"Federation" begins with a soon-retiring James Kirk visiting the Guardian of Forever from TOS's "City on the Edge of Forever." I know what you're thinking: "Oh, great, yet another 'time-travel' story."
No.
In this case, the Guardian is a frame for the bigger story, which is told across three time periods.
First, we meet Zephram Cochrane, the guy who invented Warp engines. It's 2061, and Cochrane has just returned from the first Warp-powered trip to Alpha Centauri. There and back in 243 days. He barely has time for a reluctant celebration, though, for one Adrik Thorsen of the Optimum Movement is after him. Thorsen wants Cochrane's Warp Drive--both as a weapon to be used in cleansing humanity of imperfections and to keep those same humans from escaping the cleansing.
Next, we flash forward to the Enterprise in 2267, where James Kirk is playing Space Poker with Spock and Sarek, and getting his ass handed to him. They're in the ship's Sickbay, recovering from the events of the TOS episode "Journey to Babel" (an assassination attempt on Kirk; Sarek in desperate need of open-heart surgery; Spock unable to leave the bridge to give blood for the cause). Remember the episode where Cochrane turned up alive on a little planetoid, and in the end Kirk promised that he'd keep it quiet?
Ummmm...ooopsie. Just like before, ships are disappearing in the Gamma Canaris region, and an admiral has come aboard wanting to know why Starfleet wasn't warned about that planetoid and its apparent hazard to navigation. And why a dead woman is asking James Kirk for help.
Then, we visit the Enterprise-D in 2366, where Picard is playing Space Chess with Data, bringing the game to a stalemate three times in a row. Mad skills, yo. It's shortly after Picard's mind-meld from the TNG episode where Sarek is suffering from Space Alzheimer's, and some of the Vulcan's chess-playing ability has stuck with the Captain. Nothing more exciting than this happens for a few pages...then the captain and his crew find themselves wondering how a Romulan Warbird has ended up in Ferengi hands, and what they have to do with the Borg.
The three plotlines are told piecemeal, one, two, three, and the Reeves-Stevenses are on the ball in keeping things organized and bringing it all together. I've read this one four or five times (and haven't read it in maybe 10 years), and as always they tell a good story and keep it entertaining. I especially like their treatment of Vulcans as thinking, FEELING beings. It's not like they're unemotional; no--they're a very (almost excessively?) passionate race who came to understand that emotions can and should be controlled, lest they control you. Too many other Trek writers come up with stupid crap like "Spock had come perilously close to feeling emotion." That's just wrong--you can see that in Spock's behavior in the original series. He does express emotions, but it's a subtle thing.
SPOILERS!
There were some things I had problems with There was little nit-picky stuff--some unnecessary hand-holding from the authors at times (belaboring a point to make sure we get it), a few places where the story gets bogged down, but none of that warrants that point I took away.
Since it's been a while since I last read it, I've changed enough where things that I really dug the first times through are just not so cool anymore--especially the bad guy Thorsen, who simply refuses to die. First he gets himself made into a cyborg, then he's just a personality matrix waiting around to take control of the Enterprise-D and then Data, all in the pursuit of Cochrane. These things happened so often on TNG that I found them as annoying as all the damn time-travel stuff the various Trek shows did. The entire third act of the book hinges on the Thorsen-thing strategically getting into position to capture the ship, and upon its ability to manipulate the Romulans, Ferengi, and ultimately Picard...yet Thorsen is defeated because of a LACK of strategic thinking ability. Didn't sit right, so there goes a point.
Rating: 4/5
Date: 1995
Read again? Yes.
Warnings: None
Yet another Star Trek "Giant Novel." Yes, I'm avoiding the series stuff, getting the good stuff (or what I remember as good) first. I'll suffer for it later, like when I get to Sonni Cooper's "Black Fire," which I'm afraid George Lucas will buy the movie rights for--I mean, the suck's already there, so he won't have to add any of his own, which is good because he used so much of it in the 4th Indiana Jones movie.
"Federation" begins with a soon-retiring James Kirk visiting the Guardian of Forever from TOS's "City on the Edge of Forever." I know what you're thinking: "Oh, great, yet another 'time-travel' story."
No.
In this case, the Guardian is a frame for the bigger story, which is told across three time periods.
First, we meet Zephram Cochrane, the guy who invented Warp engines. It's 2061, and Cochrane has just returned from the first Warp-powered trip to Alpha Centauri. There and back in 243 days. He barely has time for a reluctant celebration, though, for one Adrik Thorsen of the Optimum Movement is after him. Thorsen wants Cochrane's Warp Drive--both as a weapon to be used in cleansing humanity of imperfections and to keep those same humans from escaping the cleansing.
Next, we flash forward to the Enterprise in 2267, where James Kirk is playing Space Poker with Spock and Sarek, and getting his ass handed to him. They're in the ship's Sickbay, recovering from the events of the TOS episode "Journey to Babel" (an assassination attempt on Kirk; Sarek in desperate need of open-heart surgery; Spock unable to leave the bridge to give blood for the cause). Remember the episode where Cochrane turned up alive on a little planetoid, and in the end Kirk promised that he'd keep it quiet?
Ummmm...ooopsie. Just like before, ships are disappearing in the Gamma Canaris region, and an admiral has come aboard wanting to know why Starfleet wasn't warned about that planetoid and its apparent hazard to navigation. And why a dead woman is asking James Kirk for help.
Then, we visit the Enterprise-D in 2366, where Picard is playing Space Chess with Data, bringing the game to a stalemate three times in a row. Mad skills, yo. It's shortly after Picard's mind-meld from the TNG episode where Sarek is suffering from Space Alzheimer's, and some of the Vulcan's chess-playing ability has stuck with the Captain. Nothing more exciting than this happens for a few pages...then the captain and his crew find themselves wondering how a Romulan Warbird has ended up in Ferengi hands, and what they have to do with the Borg.
The three plotlines are told piecemeal, one, two, three, and the Reeves-Stevenses are on the ball in keeping things organized and bringing it all together. I've read this one four or five times (and haven't read it in maybe 10 years), and as always they tell a good story and keep it entertaining. I especially like their treatment of Vulcans as thinking, FEELING beings. It's not like they're unemotional; no--they're a very (almost excessively?) passionate race who came to understand that emotions can and should be controlled, lest they control you. Too many other Trek writers come up with stupid crap like "Spock had come perilously close to feeling emotion." That's just wrong--you can see that in Spock's behavior in the original series. He does express emotions, but it's a subtle thing.
SPOILERS!
There were some things I had problems with There was little nit-picky stuff--some unnecessary hand-holding from the authors at times (belaboring a point to make sure we get it), a few places where the story gets bogged down, but none of that warrants that point I took away.
Since it's been a while since I last read it, I've changed enough where things that I really dug the first times through are just not so cool anymore--especially the bad guy Thorsen, who simply refuses to die. First he gets himself made into a cyborg, then he's just a personality matrix waiting around to take control of the Enterprise-D and then Data, all in the pursuit of Cochrane. These things happened so often on TNG that I found them as annoying as all the damn time-travel stuff the various Trek shows did. The entire third act of the book hinges on the Thorsen-thing strategically getting into position to capture the ship, and upon its ability to manipulate the Romulans, Ferengi, and ultimately Picard...yet Thorsen is defeated because of a LACK of strategic thinking ability. Didn't sit right, so there goes a point.
Floating Dragon (Peter Straub)
Floating Dragon (Peter Straub)
Rating: 4/5
Year: 1982
Genre: Horror
Read again? Yes.
This is the only book in maybe 25 years that ever scared the crap out of me. The first time I read it--17 years ago--I couldn't sleep soundly for a few nights. The last book that affected me that way was Benchley's "Jaws" in early-Eighties middle school.
The only thing that scares me anymore is the knowledge that George Lucas is lurking under an expensive rock somewhere, ready to ooze out and make another movie.
"Floating Dragon" is set in Hampstead, a small Connecticut town, a bedroom community for New York City. A woman named Stony Friedgood is murdered on May 17, 1980. In nearby Woodville, there's the inadvertent release of a toxic gas at a secret military facility.
Shortly thereafter, people in Hampstead turn up with a bad case of dead. Some are suicides. Some simply drop where they stand. Some begin to liquefy and have to wrap themselves in bandages to keep themselves together. Some have visions and go insane. Some are carved up by an unseen murderer. The survivors--those who didn't leave Patchin County when the troubles
began--are treated to an awful ride from which there is no escape. But is it the effect of the gas (known as DRG-16 to the military wonks)...or is it the evil that has manifested in cycles in Patchin County for two centuries?
Hampstead's a small town, one of those everybody-knows-everyone-else places, home to famous actors, New York power brokers, and professional snobs.
Some of the town's founding families are still here more than three centuries later: Williams, Smyth, Green, and Tayler. These names and more are part of the county's history from the 1700's on. In that regard, "Dragon" reads like a family tree: each generation of these core families bears witness to--or causes--horrifying murders.
The principals are:
Graham Williams, formerly famous author; now a failure and a coward (his own words). Blacklisted by Tailgunner Joe McCarthy.
James Tabb ("Tabby") Smithfield, formerly poor little rich kid; now a poor little poor kid with an alcoholic father.
Richard Allbee (Green), formerly famous child actor; now restores Victorian- and Edwardian-era houses.
Patsy McCloud (Taylor), formerly popular girl, now a beaten wife.
Williams is the first to realize that the four of them--the last of those original founding families--coming together means bad things are afoot. When he was 20, and again in his 50's, he faced that evil alone. This time around, it's plain that the four of them must band together, or all four of them will die.
Straub's writing is tight and flows well for the most part, with good description and characterization. He uses much of the book's 544-plus pages (plus thirty pages of back-story vignettes) effectively, but he doesn't tell the story in a linear manner. To keep us as disoriented as the characters, he bounces from point of view to point of view, from present to past. We see certain events through several sets of eyes.
The down side is that the story drags toward the end: it took a week and a half to finish it this time around. The Big Fight at the end is silly and disappointing in a "You mean that's IT?!" way. Had to take a point off for that.
Rating: 4/5
Year: 1982
Genre: Horror
Read again? Yes.
This is the only book in maybe 25 years that ever scared the crap out of me. The first time I read it--17 years ago--I couldn't sleep soundly for a few nights. The last book that affected me that way was Benchley's "Jaws" in early-Eighties middle school.
The only thing that scares me anymore is the knowledge that George Lucas is lurking under an expensive rock somewhere, ready to ooze out and make another movie.
"Floating Dragon" is set in Hampstead, a small Connecticut town, a bedroom community for New York City. A woman named Stony Friedgood is murdered on May 17, 1980. In nearby Woodville, there's the inadvertent release of a toxic gas at a secret military facility.
Shortly thereafter, people in Hampstead turn up with a bad case of dead. Some are suicides. Some simply drop where they stand. Some begin to liquefy and have to wrap themselves in bandages to keep themselves together. Some have visions and go insane. Some are carved up by an unseen murderer. The survivors--those who didn't leave Patchin County when the troubles
began--are treated to an awful ride from which there is no escape. But is it the effect of the gas (known as DRG-16 to the military wonks)...or is it the evil that has manifested in cycles in Patchin County for two centuries?
Hampstead's a small town, one of those everybody-knows-everyone-else places, home to famous actors, New York power brokers, and professional snobs.
Some of the town's founding families are still here more than three centuries later: Williams, Smyth, Green, and Tayler. These names and more are part of the county's history from the 1700's on. In that regard, "Dragon" reads like a family tree: each generation of these core families bears witness to--or causes--horrifying murders.
The principals are:
Graham Williams, formerly famous author; now a failure and a coward (his own words). Blacklisted by Tailgunner Joe McCarthy.
James Tabb ("Tabby") Smithfield, formerly poor little rich kid; now a poor little poor kid with an alcoholic father.
Richard Allbee (Green), formerly famous child actor; now restores Victorian- and Edwardian-era houses.
Patsy McCloud (Taylor), formerly popular girl, now a beaten wife.
Williams is the first to realize that the four of them--the last of those original founding families--coming together means bad things are afoot. When he was 20, and again in his 50's, he faced that evil alone. This time around, it's plain that the four of them must band together, or all four of them will die.
Straub's writing is tight and flows well for the most part, with good description and characterization. He uses much of the book's 544-plus pages (plus thirty pages of back-story vignettes) effectively, but he doesn't tell the story in a linear manner. To keep us as disoriented as the characters, he bounces from point of view to point of view, from present to past. We see certain events through several sets of eyes.
The down side is that the story drags toward the end: it took a week and a half to finish it this time around. The Big Fight at the end is silly and disappointing in a "You mean that's IT?!" way. Had to take a point off for that.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Main Index--by Title
Alphabetical by series (if any), then title.
Revised Feb. 7, 2012 (all titles through Dec. 31, 2011)
101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius by Graham, Brad & McGowan, Kathy
2001: A Space Odyssey by Clarke, Arthur C
2010: Odyssey 2 by Clarke, Arthur C
2061: Odyssey Three by Clarke, Arthur C
3001: Final Odyssey by Clarke, Arthur C
51 High-Tech Practical Jokes for the Evil Genius by Graham, Brad & McGowan, Kathy
Alien by Foster, Alan Dean
Aliens by Foster, Alan Dean
Amber
Amber 01: Nine Princes in Amber by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 01: Nine Princes in Amber (short review) by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 02: The Guns of Avalon by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 02: The Guns of Avalon (short review) by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 03: Sign of the Unicorn by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 03: Sign of the Unicorn by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 04: The Hand of Oberon by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 05: The Courts of Chaos by Zelazny, Roger
American Lighthouses by Krutein, Wernher
Ansel Adams: Landscapes of the American West by Morgan-Griffiths, Lauris
Apollo 11 Moon Landing: 40th Anniversary Photographic Retrospective, The by Jenkins, Dennis & Frank, Jorge
Back to the Future by Gipe, George
Back to the Future II by Gardner, Craig Shaw
Bard's Tale 1--Castle of Deception by Lackey, Mercedes
Bard's Tale 2--The Chaos Gate by Sherman, Josepha
Bay City Blues (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Buckaroo Banzai by Rauch, Earl Mac
Complete Introduction to Drawing, The by Barber, Barrington
Confederacy of Dunces, A by Toole, JK
Curtain, The (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Demon-Haunted World, The by Sagan, Carl
Dresden Files 01: Storm Front by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 02: Fool Moon by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 03: Grave Peril by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 04: Summer Knight by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 05: Death Masks by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 06: Blood Rites by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 07: Dead Beat by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 08: Proven Guilty by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 09: White Night by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 10: Small Favor by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 11: Turn Coat by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 12: Changes by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 13: Ghost Story by Butcher, Jim
Edge: 01 The Loner by Gilman, George
Electronic Projects for Guitar by Penfold, RA
Electronic Projects for Musicians by Anderton, Craig
Farewell, My Lovely by Chandler, Raymond
Final Approach by Nance, John J
Finger Man (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Floating Dragon by Straub, Peter
Forbidden Fighting Techniques of the Ninja by Kim, Ashida
Getting Great Guitar Sounds by Ross, Michael
God Is Not Great by Hitchens, Christopher
Goldfish (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Hard Tack and Coffee by Billings, John D
Hellbound Heart, The by Barker, Clive
How to Shit in the Woods by Meyer, Kathleen
Jaws by Benchley, Peter
Jungle, The by Sinclair, Upton
Keep, The by Wilson, F Paul
Killer in the Rain (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
K-PAX by Brewer, Gene
Lady in the Lake, The (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Lighthouses by Linford, Jenny
M*A*S*H by Hooker, Richard
Maltese Falcon, The by Hammett, Dashiell
Man on the Moon, A by Chaikin, Andrew
Man Who Liked Dogs, The (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Mandarin's Jade (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Maximum Bob by Leonard, Elmore
Myth #1: Another Fine Myth by Asprin, Robert
Myth #2: Myth Conceptions by Asprin, Robert
Myth #3: Myth Directions by Asprin, Robert
No Country for Old Men by McCarthy, Cormac
No Crime in the Mountains (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
On a Beam of Light by Brewer, Gene
Pearl Harbor: America's Darkest Day by Wels, Susan
Pocket Ref (3e) by Glover, Thomas
Projects for Guitarists by Anderton, Craig
Pronto by Leonard, Elmore
Quickies
Quickie: A History of Florida Forts by de Quesada, Alejandro
Quickie: A Legacy in Brick and Stone by Weaver, John
Quickie: A Song of Ice and Fire (series) by Martin, George RR
Quickie: Chronicles of Amber, The (Series) by Zelazny, Roger
Quickie: DeLorean: Stainless Steel Illusion by Lamm, John
Quickie: Ranma 1/2 (series) by Takahashi, Rumiko
Quickie: Star Wars: New Jedi Order (series) by Various
Quickie: The Dresden Files (Series) by Butcher, Jim
Red Wind (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Rush (Guitar Superstar Series) by Donato, Ray
Rush Complete (2 volumes) and Deluxe Anthology by Unknown
Salvation Boulevard by Beinhart, Larry
Shipkiller, The by Scott, Justin
Song of Ice and Fire, A
SIF 01: A Game of Thrones by Martin, George RR
SIF 02: A Clash of Kings by Martin, George RR
SIF 03: A Storm of Swords by Martin, George RR
SIF 04: A Feast for Crows by Martin, George RR
Star Trek
Star Trek #65--Windows on a Lost World by Mitchell, VE
Star Trek: Federation by Reeves-Stevens, Judith & Garfield
Star Trek: TNG Imzadi by David, Peter
Star Trek: TNG--Vendetta by David, Peter
Star Trek: TOS #48--Rules of Engagement by Morwood, Peter
Star Trek: TOS 081 Mudd in your Eye by Oltion, Jerry
Star Trek: TOS Prime Directive by Reeves-Stevens, Judith & Garfield
Star Trek: TOS--Final Frontier by Carey, Diane
Star Trek: TOS--Strangers From the Sky by Bonano, Margaret Wander
Star Trek--TNG #06 Power Hungry by Weinstein, Howard
Star Trek--TOS #31 Battlestations! by Carey, Diane
Star Trek--TOS #39: Time for Yesterday by Crispin, AC
Star Trek--TOS #45: Double, Double by Friedman, Michael J
Star Trek--TOS #8 Yesterday's Son by Crispin, AC
Star Trek--TOS 29: Dreadnought! by Carey, Diane
Star Trek--TOS: The Lost Years by Dillard, JM
Star Wars
Solo 01--Han Solo at Star's End by Daley, Brian
Solo 02--Han Solo's Revenge by Daley, Brian
Solo 03--Han Solo and the Lost Legacy by Daley, Brian
Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Foster, Alan Dean
Star Wars: Darksaber by Anderson, Kevin J
Star Wars: Hand of Thrawn 01--Spectre of the Past by Zahn, Timothy
Star Wars: Hand of Thrawn 02--Vision of the Future by Zahn, Timothy
Star Wars: I, Jedi by Stackpole, Michael
Star Wars: Thrawn 01--Heir to the Empire by Zahn, Timothy
Star Wars: Thrawn 02--Dark Force Rising by Zahn, Timothy
Star Wars: Thrawn 03: The Last Command by Zahn, Timothy
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Roach, Mary
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Feynman, Richard
Terminal Event by Thayer, James
Tregarde 01: Burning Water by Lackey, Mercedes
Tregarde 02: Children of the Night by Lackey, Mercedes
Tregarde 03: Jinx High by Lackey, Mercedes
Trouble Is My Business (collection) by Chandler, Raymond
Trouble is my Business (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Try the Girl (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Valdemar
Valdemar (series) by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 01: The Black Gryphon by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 02: The White Gryphon by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 03: The Silver Gryphon by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 04: Magic's Pawn by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 05: Magic's Promise by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 06: Magic's Price by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 07: Brightly Burning by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 08: The Oathbound by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 09: Oathbreakers by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 10: Oathblood by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 11: Exile's Honor by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 12: Exile's Valor by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 13: Take a Thief by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 14: Arrows of the Queen by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 15: Arrow's Flight by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 16: Arrow's Fall by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 17: By the Sword by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 18: Winds of Fate by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 19: Winds of Change by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 20: Winds of Fury by Lackey, Mercedes
Why Buildings Fall Down by Levy, Matthys & Salvadori, Mario
Without Remorse by Clancy, Tom
World's Most Evil Men, The by Blandford, Neil & Jones, Bruce
Revised Feb. 7, 2012 (all titles through Dec. 31, 2011)
101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius by Graham, Brad & McGowan, Kathy
2001: A Space Odyssey by Clarke, Arthur C
2010: Odyssey 2 by Clarke, Arthur C
2061: Odyssey Three by Clarke, Arthur C
3001: Final Odyssey by Clarke, Arthur C
51 High-Tech Practical Jokes for the Evil Genius by Graham, Brad & McGowan, Kathy
Alien by Foster, Alan Dean
Aliens by Foster, Alan Dean
Amber
Amber 01: Nine Princes in Amber by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 01: Nine Princes in Amber (short review) by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 02: The Guns of Avalon by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 02: The Guns of Avalon (short review) by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 03: Sign of the Unicorn by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 03: Sign of the Unicorn by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 04: The Hand of Oberon by Zelazny, Roger
Amber 05: The Courts of Chaos by Zelazny, Roger
American Lighthouses by Krutein, Wernher
Ansel Adams: Landscapes of the American West by Morgan-Griffiths, Lauris
Apollo 11 Moon Landing: 40th Anniversary Photographic Retrospective, The by Jenkins, Dennis & Frank, Jorge
Back to the Future by Gipe, George
Back to the Future II by Gardner, Craig Shaw
Bard's Tale 1--Castle of Deception by Lackey, Mercedes
Bard's Tale 2--The Chaos Gate by Sherman, Josepha
Bay City Blues (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Buckaroo Banzai by Rauch, Earl Mac
Complete Introduction to Drawing, The by Barber, Barrington
Confederacy of Dunces, A by Toole, JK
Curtain, The (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Demon-Haunted World, The by Sagan, Carl
Dresden Files 01: Storm Front by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 02: Fool Moon by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 03: Grave Peril by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 04: Summer Knight by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 05: Death Masks by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 06: Blood Rites by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 07: Dead Beat by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 08: Proven Guilty by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 09: White Night by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 10: Small Favor by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 11: Turn Coat by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 12: Changes by Butcher, Jim
Dresden Files 13: Ghost Story by Butcher, Jim
Edge: 01 The Loner by Gilman, George
Electronic Projects for Guitar by Penfold, RA
Electronic Projects for Musicians by Anderton, Craig
Farewell, My Lovely by Chandler, Raymond
Final Approach by Nance, John J
Finger Man (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Floating Dragon by Straub, Peter
Forbidden Fighting Techniques of the Ninja by Kim, Ashida
Getting Great Guitar Sounds by Ross, Michael
God Is Not Great by Hitchens, Christopher
Goldfish (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Hard Tack and Coffee by Billings, John D
Hellbound Heart, The by Barker, Clive
How to Shit in the Woods by Meyer, Kathleen
Jaws by Benchley, Peter
Jungle, The by Sinclair, Upton
Keep, The by Wilson, F Paul
Killer in the Rain (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
K-PAX by Brewer, Gene
Lady in the Lake, The (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Lighthouses by Linford, Jenny
M*A*S*H by Hooker, Richard
Maltese Falcon, The by Hammett, Dashiell
Man on the Moon, A by Chaikin, Andrew
Man Who Liked Dogs, The (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Mandarin's Jade (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Maximum Bob by Leonard, Elmore
Myth #1: Another Fine Myth by Asprin, Robert
Myth #2: Myth Conceptions by Asprin, Robert
Myth #3: Myth Directions by Asprin, Robert
No Country for Old Men by McCarthy, Cormac
No Crime in the Mountains (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
On a Beam of Light by Brewer, Gene
Pearl Harbor: America's Darkest Day by Wels, Susan
Pocket Ref (3e) by Glover, Thomas
Projects for Guitarists by Anderton, Craig
Pronto by Leonard, Elmore
Quickies
Quickie: A History of Florida Forts by de Quesada, Alejandro
Quickie: A Legacy in Brick and Stone by Weaver, John
Quickie: A Song of Ice and Fire (series) by Martin, George RR
Quickie: Chronicles of Amber, The (Series) by Zelazny, Roger
Quickie: DeLorean: Stainless Steel Illusion by Lamm, John
Quickie: Ranma 1/2 (series) by Takahashi, Rumiko
Quickie: Star Wars: New Jedi Order (series) by Various
Quickie: The Dresden Files (Series) by Butcher, Jim
Red Wind (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Rush (Guitar Superstar Series) by Donato, Ray
Rush Complete (2 volumes) and Deluxe Anthology by Unknown
Salvation Boulevard by Beinhart, Larry
Shipkiller, The by Scott, Justin
Song of Ice and Fire, A
SIF 01: A Game of Thrones by Martin, George RR
SIF 02: A Clash of Kings by Martin, George RR
SIF 03: A Storm of Swords by Martin, George RR
SIF 04: A Feast for Crows by Martin, George RR
Star Trek
Star Trek #65--Windows on a Lost World by Mitchell, VE
Star Trek: Federation by Reeves-Stevens, Judith & Garfield
Star Trek: TNG Imzadi by David, Peter
Star Trek: TNG--Vendetta by David, Peter
Star Trek: TOS #48--Rules of Engagement by Morwood, Peter
Star Trek: TOS 081 Mudd in your Eye by Oltion, Jerry
Star Trek: TOS Prime Directive by Reeves-Stevens, Judith & Garfield
Star Trek: TOS--Final Frontier by Carey, Diane
Star Trek: TOS--Strangers From the Sky by Bonano, Margaret Wander
Star Trek--TNG #06 Power Hungry by Weinstein, Howard
Star Trek--TOS #31 Battlestations! by Carey, Diane
Star Trek--TOS #39: Time for Yesterday by Crispin, AC
Star Trek--TOS #45: Double, Double by Friedman, Michael J
Star Trek--TOS #8 Yesterday's Son by Crispin, AC
Star Trek--TOS 29: Dreadnought! by Carey, Diane
Star Trek--TOS: The Lost Years by Dillard, JM
Star Wars
Solo 01--Han Solo at Star's End by Daley, Brian
Solo 02--Han Solo's Revenge by Daley, Brian
Solo 03--Han Solo and the Lost Legacy by Daley, Brian
Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Foster, Alan Dean
Star Wars: Darksaber by Anderson, Kevin J
Star Wars: Hand of Thrawn 01--Spectre of the Past by Zahn, Timothy
Star Wars: Hand of Thrawn 02--Vision of the Future by Zahn, Timothy
Star Wars: I, Jedi by Stackpole, Michael
Star Wars: Thrawn 01--Heir to the Empire by Zahn, Timothy
Star Wars: Thrawn 02--Dark Force Rising by Zahn, Timothy
Star Wars: Thrawn 03: The Last Command by Zahn, Timothy
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Roach, Mary
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Feynman, Richard
Terminal Event by Thayer, James
Tregarde 01: Burning Water by Lackey, Mercedes
Tregarde 02: Children of the Night by Lackey, Mercedes
Tregarde 03: Jinx High by Lackey, Mercedes
Trouble Is My Business (collection) by Chandler, Raymond
Trouble is my Business (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Try the Girl (short story) by Chandler, Raymond
Valdemar
Valdemar (series) by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 01: The Black Gryphon by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 02: The White Gryphon by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 03: The Silver Gryphon by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 04: Magic's Pawn by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 05: Magic's Promise by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 06: Magic's Price by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 07: Brightly Burning by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 08: The Oathbound by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 09: Oathbreakers by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 10: Oathblood by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 11: Exile's Honor by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 12: Exile's Valor by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 13: Take a Thief by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 14: Arrows of the Queen by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 15: Arrow's Flight by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 16: Arrow's Fall by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 17: By the Sword by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 18: Winds of Fate by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 19: Winds of Change by Lackey, Mercedes
Valdemar 20: Winds of Fury by Lackey, Mercedes
Why Buildings Fall Down by Levy, Matthys & Salvadori, Mario
Without Remorse by Clancy, Tom
World's Most Evil Men, The by Blandford, Neil & Jones, Bruce
Star Trek: TOS Prime Directive (Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens)
Rating: 4/5
Date: 1991
Genre: Sci-Fi
Read again? Yes.
Talin IV is a dead world. Five Enterprise officers are blamed: Captain Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura have all resigned from or been kicked out of Starfleet. Dr. McCoy has resigned in protest. Everyone scatters into fish-out-of-water plotlines, learning that they had been living easy aboard Enterprise. Now they can't just go wherever they want. Things they once took for granted cost money now. Finally, they get to see that the Utopian mindset of Starfleet doesn't really trickle down to the regular people.
Kirk goes off by himself, taking odd jobs and moving on as people realize who he is, sort of like Bruce Banner in "The Hulk."
Sulu and Chekov team up, fighting their way into crew positions on an Orion freighter.
McCoy and Uhura join forces. He's the sloppy liberal, she's the neat-freak conservative...hilarity ensues!
Spock joins the Space Hippies.
Mr. Scott is the only Enterprise officer untouched by the scandal, and he's put in charge of recovering the crippled starship. How'd it get crippled? There need to be some surprises.
Naturally, all roads lead back to Talin IV. Starfleet won't investigate further, settling for a quarantine of the Talin system, and it's up to the Enterprise folks to figure out what happened and make Starfleet give them back their jobs.
This is maybe the 5th time I've read "Prime Directive," but it's the first time in about a decade. It's aged well, especially compared to Peter David's "Vendetta" novel. The Stevenses' style is much sharper--and in some ways it's like watching a good "Trek" episode or movie. I especially like the way they don't fall into the stock "Trek" trap of depicting the Federation and Starfleet as near-perfect, Utopian government systems. There's a bureaucracy in each with enormous inertia--and sometimes that inertia keeps the higher-ups from being able to stop and look at a situation carefully. Then, they blame the media (didn't see it specifically in the book, granted; but humans haven't changed much in thousands of years. Why would they be so different in a few hundred?).
Characterization is good, the plot and story are engaging...right up until we find out what killed Talin IV. I didn't care so much for the cause, and that's what I took a point for.
Date: 1991
Genre: Sci-Fi
Read again? Yes.
Talin IV is a dead world. Five Enterprise officers are blamed: Captain Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura have all resigned from or been kicked out of Starfleet. Dr. McCoy has resigned in protest. Everyone scatters into fish-out-of-water plotlines, learning that they had been living easy aboard Enterprise. Now they can't just go wherever they want. Things they once took for granted cost money now. Finally, they get to see that the Utopian mindset of Starfleet doesn't really trickle down to the regular people.
Kirk goes off by himself, taking odd jobs and moving on as people realize who he is, sort of like Bruce Banner in "The Hulk."
Sulu and Chekov team up, fighting their way into crew positions on an Orion freighter.
McCoy and Uhura join forces. He's the sloppy liberal, she's the neat-freak conservative...hilarity ensues!
Spock joins the Space Hippies.
Mr. Scott is the only Enterprise officer untouched by the scandal, and he's put in charge of recovering the crippled starship. How'd it get crippled? There need to be some surprises.
Naturally, all roads lead back to Talin IV. Starfleet won't investigate further, settling for a quarantine of the Talin system, and it's up to the Enterprise folks to figure out what happened and make Starfleet give them back their jobs.
This is maybe the 5th time I've read "Prime Directive," but it's the first time in about a decade. It's aged well, especially compared to Peter David's "Vendetta" novel. The Stevenses' style is much sharper--and in some ways it's like watching a good "Trek" episode or movie. I especially like the way they don't fall into the stock "Trek" trap of depicting the Federation and Starfleet as near-perfect, Utopian government systems. There's a bureaucracy in each with enormous inertia--and sometimes that inertia keeps the higher-ups from being able to stop and look at a situation carefully. Then, they blame the media (didn't see it specifically in the book, granted; but humans haven't changed much in thousands of years. Why would they be so different in a few hundred?).
Characterization is good, the plot and story are engaging...right up until we find out what killed Talin IV. I didn't care so much for the cause, and that's what I took a point for.
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