OUR MUST-READ LIST:IN THE SHADOW OF ARES (AMBER'S MARS)
Cost: $3 (Kindle) Overall Rating: 9.25 Plot: 9 Character Development: 10 Science Content: 8 Re-Read Potential: 10 This excellent read for young-adults (and older readers) introduces us to Amber, a spunky teenager growing up on the Martian frontier. Superb engineering and geopolitics. (405 pages) SHADOWS OF MEDUSA
Cost: $3 (Kindle), $3 (Nook), $10 (Trade Paperback, signed) Overall Rating: 9 Plot: 9 Character Development: 8 Science Content: 10 Re-Read Potential: 9 A bold novel set in the near-future, this excellent page-turner features memorable characters and a non-stop roller coaster of mystery and intrigue. Extremely accurate and educational science. (525 pages) FREEDOM'S FIRE
Cost: $0 (Kindle) Overall Rating: 8.75 Plot: 10 Character Development: 7 Science Content: 9 Re-Read Potential: 9 Railgun slugs fly in this near-future military saga. 18 'Gray' alien outcasts rule the Earth. Once they parked on the Moon, the rest was all too easy. FTL and gravity mod, but good space science. Inappropriate for younger readers. 6 books! OUTSYSTEM
Cost: $4 (Kindle), $3 (Nook) Overall Rating: 8 Plot: 8 Character Development: 7 Science Content: 8 Re-Read Potential: 9 Nanotech thriller in 4123. Colony ships, sabotage, super-soldiers, and plenty of intrigue. First of several novels in the Intrepid Saga. Sequels are OK but lack the same punch. Realistic science (no FTL). Inappropriate for younger readers. FOOTHOLD
Cost: $1 (Kindle) Overall Rating: 7 Plot: 8 Character Development: 5 Science Content: 7 Re-Read Potential: 8 Humanity heads to the stars, overcoming many technical issues and unknowns. Solid exploration novel. First of four books. Foothold works very well, but sequels lose focus with too many vanilla characters fighting needlessly. Good science detail, no FTL, but the plot does rely upon stasis. |
OUR HALL OF SHAME:
THE MARTIAN
Cost: $8 (Kindle), $8.39 (Nook), $15 (Paperback) Overall Rating: 4.75 Plot: 3 Character Development: 7 Science Content: 3 Re-Read Potential: 6 This novel presents a far-future NASA mission to Mars, exposing the folly and wastefulness of horrible mission plans. Contains strong language, inappropriate for younger readers. (385 pages) |