Author: Phil Rossi

Genre: Horror/Sci Fi

Julia Rating: 10

Comments: Crescent is a free podiobook and is also for for sale on Amazon, so if you would prefer not to listen to it, or just want to support the author, go ahead and buy the book. Either way, though, I recommend listening to Notes from the Vault by Phil Rossi before reading or listening to Crescent. It will make the experience so much cooler.

Crescent is an awesome Sci Fi/Horror mashup about a haunted space station. Though the place is only half completed for some unknown reason, people live and work on the station. A young salvage hauler named Gerry and his ship, Bean, are employed by the corrupt mayor of Crescent Station – Kendall, to haul suspicious salvage.  After the first salvage run, Gerry wants to get off that station, but he has a contract to wait out and Kendall is not a man to mess with.  Plus, now Gerry’s got a girlfriend on the station.  So, when an archeologist asks Gerry to haul some salvage at a high rate of pay, Gerry agrees.   The salvage turns out to contain something which should have stayed off the station.

To make matters worse, someone has woken the beast in the lowest decks of Crescent – in a place called the Vault.  Strange things start happening in the station.  Areas are flooded, a chill wind rushes down main street, people die for no good reason.  Crescent Station comes to life.

This book is extremely creepy, visceral and intense.  There is sex, violence, drugs and lots and lots of death.  I’d say I hope you enjoy it, but I’m not sure that’s the right word.

While I was away, Hugo and Nebula Award winning author James Patrick Kelly sent me two – count ‘em – TWO of his wonderful books with his signature and a really awesome personal message in each. The books he sent are Think Like a Dinosaur: And Other Stories and Look Into the Sun.

I am so excited about these unexpected gifts from this awesome author!  Thanks Jim!

So… to help out this fantastic writer, I wanted to remind everyone that you can buy his wonderful Sci Fi novel Look Into the Sun directly from him and – to top that – he’ll sign it for you!! Just email him at Jim (@) JimKelly (dot) net.

Sci Fi
For those friends and loved ones who love Science Fiction, try getting these books/book-like items:

- Old Man’s War or any other book by John Scalzi 
I reviewed Old Man’s Wara while back and now I’m getting it for several of my guy friends. Though it’s about seventy five year olds, I have to warn you there are blood, guts, sex and emotional trauma in this book. It is, after all, a book about war. Withthat said, I think this book is set at a wonderful pace and it really allows you to empathize with the characters and their strange circumstances.

- 7th Son: Descent by J.C. Hutchins
I admit I have not read the published version of Seventh Son: Descent, but I listened to the podiobookand I love J.C. Hutchins’ writing and his style. This is an extremely fast paced and violent sci-fi thriller. You’re welcome.

- The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I got this book one year for Christmas and I love it. It’s got all the Hitchhicker’s books in one big fat book, plus a fun short about Zaphod Beeblebrox. Guaranteed to put a smile on Hitchhiker’s fans everywhere.

- I Will Fear No Evil or any other books by Robert Heinlein
I Will Fear No Evil is the first Heinlein book I ever read and is still my favorite to this day. As is normal for Heinlein, there is lots of free love in this book, but it’s also got some neat spiritual issues it addresses. Basically, if you were ever leery about the idea of a brain transplant, this book is for you.

- The Adoration of Jenna Fox (which I reviewed) by Mary Pearson
I reviewed this book sans spoilers. So, this is your spoiler alert. Don’t read on if you don’t want a spoiler. The Adoration of Jenna Fox is about a teen who wakes up after a year long coma to find that she not only doesn’t remember what simple words mean, but her body is over 50% synthetic. She has to overcome the normal emotional issues one would have a) being a teen and b) having been in a coma for a year. She also has to figure out for herself if she is, in fact, human.

- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World is a classic. It’s a bit like George Orwell’s 1984 set in the future. It involves a society which has banned history, books and bearing children (all babies are made in a bottle and – depending on where they go in society – their growth is aided or retarded). Also, the society refuses to allow its denizens to be unhappy by providing constant access to a pleasant, mostly side effect free drug so the citizens may forget their troubles. But, when a human from the “wild reservations” comes into this new, carefree society, how does he cope? Does he adapt, or reject this new society? This book is a very real look into human misery and the tendency for people to simply hide their problems, rather than deal with them openly. Spoiler is: this book does not have a happy ending.

- The Halo Books by Eric Nylund
If your kid or friend are into the wildly popular Halo video games, get them hooked on the book series. I actually did this with my ex-boyfriend who didn’t read and he really liked them – so much so that I picked up the book I bought him and read it myself. They are actually pretty darned good!

- The Immortals by Tracy HickmanThe Immortals is a book about the 10 second decision making society opting to put disease victims into massive concentration camps for them to die off in while a cure is being searched for. However, what the people of the short attention span don’t realize is there’s something much deeper going on, something which shows the world why politics and religion don’t mix and why some decisions need thought and research put into them. 

- Look Into the Sun by James Patrick Kelly
A wonderful Sci Fi story ultimately about a young man who has to go to another planet to come into his own and truly belong. If you want to get a taste of the story – check out Jim Kelly’s Free Reads podcast, wherein he reads the whole book to you in several episodes. This book is actually out of print, but the author (and humble Nebula and two time Hugo award winner), Jim Kelly, bought out the overstock of the book and is offering to sell a signed copy to you direct. Email him at Jim (@) JimKelly (dot) net to get your book, or contact me at JuliaScottDouglas (@) Gmail (dot) com and I’ll get you two in touch. I’m going to order one just for me – I love signed books.

-Escape Pod CDs
No Sci Fi fan’s collection of books would be complete without a subscription to Escape Pod(which is free). Barring that, get them one of the cds of this fantastic podcast of short fiction. I happen to love all three of the podcasts in the Escape Pod/Pseudopod/Pod Castle network, but Escape Pod is what any sci fi fan needs to accompany them through thier journey through short fiction. (I don’t get paid to recommend these guys, I just love them and the short stories they provide really are awesome.)

I hope these books/book-like items cover all bases on your friends and family who are sci fi fans! 

If you have any suggestions of books I should read or recommend, let me know!

Also, remember that if you shop at Amazonfrom the links I provide, I get a little commission if you buy something, so help a sister out!

Podiobook: Eden

Performed by: Phil Rossi

Genre: Sci Fi/Horror

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:
Phil Rossi is a new author and has a book out now called Crescent which I will review later, but I also give that one a 10.

Edenis a novella about a giant tree, growing in space, named Eden. A space station is set up specifically to study this tree, its movements and find out why and how it’s there. The station occupants see non-existant winds rustle the tree’s leaves, they see leaves flutter off into space and are entranced by the tree’s magnificence.

However, this beauty comes with a price (doesn’t it always?). Strange, unsubstancial, squidlike creatures pass through the station, ghost children haunt the hallways and scientists begin to go mad.

Scientist Malcolm Reynolds is shipped out to assess the feasability of keeping the station, run by a past lover of Malcolm’s, at Eden.  Malcolm gets much more than he bargained for while at the station.  The longer he’s there, the more he becomes involved in the mystery, beauty and curse of Eden.

Check out Eden at Podiobooks.com and Buy Phil Rossi’s other book – Crescent – on Amazon.com

Book: Podkayne of Mars

Genre: Science Fiction

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:
This is the perfect Sci Fi coming of age tale. Heinlein always has some interesting ideas of future morals and this book explores them without being graphic. This book also shows us a simple sci fi adventure story. A girl named Podkayne is going on her first major outing off-planet. She’s going to Earth via Venus with her uncle. But, she has to take her evil genius brother.

On the way, Podkayne finds out more about the world than she ever dreamed possible, and gets into her fair share of trouble.

I always love Heinlein’s ideas of women. He enjoys portraying young woman with the sensibilities of a girl from the 50’s, but the morals of the 60’s and 70’s. In this book, he not only portrays this, but shows Podkayne grow into a brave, loving young woman – even if her brother thinks she’s a bit silly.

Also, the society in which he places Podkayne and her family is very Brave New Worldish, for example, babies are born naturally, but are frozen and decanted to be reared later. Podkayne’s other siblings (still in deep freeze) are called Gamma, Delta and Epsilon – the classes noted in Brave New World. Heinlein always seems to add his own philosophy and ideas to his fiction books, without overwhelming them.

Buy Podkayne of Mars on Amazon

John Scalzi

Book: Old Man’s War

Genre: Sci Fi

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi is a well written Sci Fi adventure that made me look at old people from a new angle. The idea behind it is, if you are old (75 years to be exact), what would you do to be young again? In the case of John Perry and countless other 75 year olds, he is willing to give up earth and fight wars at far flung planets against alien races.

Scalzi really captures the hopes and desires of a 75 year old man leaving his home forever to participate in battle with unknown races. This book is action packed, but also has an emotional impact that surprised and pleased me. Friendships are made, people die and love blooms.

I can’t wait to read Scalzi’s sequel, The Ghost Brigades

Tim Scott

Book: Love in the Time of Fridges – A Sci-Fi Thriller (of sorts)

Genre: Sci Fi, Humor

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:

This book gets a 10 just for the title. Come on. Who could resist a book called Love in the Time of Fridges? The title is amazing.

I got this book from my awesome cousin for Christmas. She got it because when she went to the book store to buy me a Christmas present, she realized that I’ve probably read all the books she would recommend for me (a kind assumption, but I’m not sure. My cousin’s a prolific reader.)  Anyway, she then bought two books she hadn’t read.  So I owe her my thanks for a great choice in literature.

Now, onwards with the review. Tim Scott reminded me a lot of Douglas Adams. I don’t say that lightly. While Tim’s wacky book occurs on planet earth – in Seattle – it’s got amazing and hilarious Sci Fi bits. I want to quote from his book, but I’d probably need permission and I’d spoil the delight and hilarity you’ll get out of reading it.

The premise is that Huckleberry Lindbergh returns to his hometown – Seattle – to find peace from a past he has run away from. Instead he runs into trouble. He meets a girl who is helping refrigerators (and one tumble dryer) escape from oppression in Seattle. She thinks that’s all she’s doing, but they both discover a deeper conspiracy, involving Fiorentina pizza, but without the egg.

This book contains government control experiments, brain washing, highly mustached police, decrepit public transportation, ominous health and safety warnings, animated furniture, singing fridges and even love.

If this book sounds like the right stuff for you, click here and buy it from Amazon.

Mary E. Pearson

Book: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Genre: Sci Fi

Julia Rating: 10

Comments:
I found The Adoration of Jenna Fox at Becky’s Book Review Blog and fell in love with the idea of it. However, I totally thought it was just about a girl who lost her memory and is finding herself. All by itself, that’s a pretty good premise for a book, wouldn’t you say?

But The Adoration of Jenna Fox is much, much more than that. To my happy astonishment, I found it’s a sci fi book about possible future technologies.  It’s like Greg Bear, but for younger people and more emotionally minded (as opposed to Mr. Bear’s technically minded books).

I can’t really go in to all the details, because I’d probably completely ruin the book for you.  But the basic premise is a girl named Jenna Fox wakes up a year after a terrible accident.  She can’t remember anything about her previous life and is trying to focus on making her awkward body do what she wants it to do.  As she delves deeper into her past, she tries to remember the accident.  She can’t, but discovers tidbits and finds out she shouldn’t have survived… yet she did. Why you ask? You’ll have to read the book.

If you want to buy The Adoration of Jenna Fox from Amazon, click here.

Otherwise, comment and tell me what you think! If you want a spoiler, let me know and I’ll give it to you in the comments.