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The 'It's Christmas Again!' Update

Happy
Christmas one and all. Not much more than reviews
this month. The interview with Michael McGan is
still being sorted and we hope to have it completed
for next time (however, lots of beer will need
to be consumed on our part and I'm sure Mr McGan's,
so no promises :)
BookLore
is changing to a new format during 2003 to
tie in with the move to the database. Any comments
would be appreciated as the site evolves... and
remember, a book is for life not just for Christmas.
*Chrissi
'offically' behind... :) |
Night
Watch by Terry Pratchett
The
new Terry Pratchett Discworld novel, Night
Watch, is reviewed by Nigel. Sam Vimes
finds himself walking the beat again, but
not quite in the fashion he would like. The
Watch was never like this... well, actually
it was, just like this... |
Black
Water by Jefferson Parker
Not due to be published until January 2003
Black
Water by Jefferson Parker was kindly sent
to BookLore by the publisher HarperCollins.
A young woman lies dead in the bathroom of
her home. Her husband is found shot in the
head but still alive. It looks like an attempted
murder/suicide, but something tells Detective
Merci Rayborn that there's more to the story... |
Bonneville
Stories by Mark
Doyon
Sent in by the author Bonneville
Stories is set, funnily enough, in Bonneville,
where good people lose limbs, fight lightning,
and slip into sinkholes. They pitch over bicycles,
tumble off ladders, and expire without warning.
They spin the wheel and take their chances.
It's all in a day's work. |
Rich
Man's Coffin by Kenneth Gardner
Based
on a true-life figure, Rich
Man's Coffin is a novel revolving around
the life of 'Black Jack' White, a former slave
who escapes from captivity in his native Mississippi
in 1828 and ultimately finds work on a whaling
vessel in New York. Finding himself in a distant
and foreign land, his simple plan to become
a wealthy whaler soon took a strange twist;
and he found himself thrust into the violent
life of the local cannibals. |
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Mr
Nice by Howard Marks
During the mid 1980s Howard Marks had forty-three
aliases, eighty-nine phone lines and owned
twenty-five companies trading throughout the
world. At the height of his career he was
smuggling consignments of up to thirty tons
of marijuana. Told
with humour, charm and candour, Mr
Nice is his own extraordinary story. |
Compulsion
by Shaun Hutson
Victim has sent in a review for Compulsion
by Shaun Hutson. A gang of teenage youngsters
is running riot on the streets. Terror and
hatred have become part of everyday life for
local residents and, just when it seems things
cannot get any worse, the gang targets Shelby
House - an old people's home. But
enough is enough. The senior citizens of Shelby
House decide to take the law into their own
hands and fight back... |
The
Longing by Wendy Lindstrom
Denise has sent in a review for the second
book in the trilogy about the Grayson brothers.
The
Longing picks up where the first book
in the series, Shades of Honour, left off.
Kyle Grayson is reeling with heartache and
a deep sense of betrayal from a ruined courtship,
a courtship which saw his fiancée marrying
his older brother, Radford. |
First
Aid to Mental Illness; A Practical Guide for
Patients & Caregivers by Michael G. Rayel,
M.D.
The
value of first-aid intervention has long been
recognized in the treatment of physical illness.
However, to date, the concept of first aid
has eluded the realm of mental health.
Reviewed
by Denise First
Aid to Mental Illness addresses this balance. |
Altered
Carbon by Richard Morgan
Chrissi has been forced to read Altered
Carbon
following Nigel's ranting last month. Against
all sense (she hates hard SF) she actually
enjoyed it. Can it really be that good? Yep... |
And
finally...
...we thought this Harry
Potter Synopsis was
very funny and as it seems to be in the public
domain decided to include it. Apparently Ms
Rowling is not too impressed but how can she
argue really? Have a look and see what you
think. |
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The 'Back on Track' update
Hi
everyone. We have finally stopped the rot with
a half decent update this month. As well as a
goodly number of reviews (many thanks to new reviewer
Denise)
we have added two new articles, one from author
Keith
Rommel on Writing
a 'Killer Query' and one on BookLore
Review Scoring
and why scores may appear high (money does not
change hands... unfortunately:)
We have also added a new Quiz,
updated the Publication
Dates page and tidied up the Links
page.
Next time we should have an Interview with Michael
McGan, author of Fleeting
Thoughts,
as well as lots more reviews and other book related
items of interest. Come back soon :)
*In
Joke for the faithful. Ssssh... Terry Pratchett
publishes Night Watch this month so Chrissi will
be behind again.... hehehe :) |
The
Bone Vault by Linda Fairstein
Not
due for publication until January 2003 BookLore
was kindly sent a copy of Linda Fairstein's
next novel, The
Bone Vault, by the publisher Little, Brown.
One of Chrissi's favourite authors, it wasn't
long before it was finished. Any good? Of
course... read the review to find out why. |
Blood
Lust by Rhys Wilcox
Leeds
has been overrun by vampires. The world saving
duties fall upon an age-old vampire hunter
guiding five reluctant twenty-something students
through the nightmare... and two of them are
already dead! Blood
Lust is a union of comedy and horror that
Kenneth Williams would have been proud of...
ok, Sid James maybe :) |
Dice
Angel by Brian Rouff
Jimmy Delaney, owner of Jimmy D's, is on another
bad roll. Unless he can come up with $50,000
in back taxes by Friday he will lose the saloon
to a rogue revenue agent with a personal grudge.
Can a mysterious woman who enters his life
be the answer? Will the Dice
Angel save Jimmy D's with a supernaturally
hot hand or does Lady Luck bite off, chew
up, and spit out another Las Vegas loser? |
Avenger
of Blood by John Hagee
Avenger
of Blood is
the powerful sequel to Devil's Island that
follows the apostle John and the family of
Christians he has befriended as they confront
danger and the many challenges that face first
century believers. |
Talon
of the Silver Hawk by Raymond E. Feist
Talon
of the Silver Hawk
is a powerful new epic fantasy series from
Raymond E. Feist, one of the great masters
of the genre. Set on the planet Midkemia after
the Riftwar
new characters are introduced while some old
ones carry on regardless:) |
Fleeting
Thoughts by Michael McGan
Chrissi has been at the Review copies again,
as if she didn't have enough to read! After
hearing Nigel rant about Fleeting
Thoughts
without being able to explain what it is actually
about she decided to decide for herself...
chalk up one more convert:). |
Christmas
Every Morning by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Christmas
Every Morning
has been reviewed by Denise.
Astory of joy and loss, connection and forgiveness,
that presents each day as a gift to be opened
and every loved one as a treasure to be rediscovered. |
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Four
Blind Mice by James Patterson
Another Chrissi favourite is James Patterson
and his new novel, Four
Blind Mice,
sees another outing for detective and psychologist
Alex Cross. Three young military wives have
been savagely killed during a 'girls' night
out and a master sergeant at the army base,
stands accused: his knife was the murder weapon;
his fingerprints were on the blade; and DNA
at the crime scene has been matched with his
hair and skin |
Altered
Carbon by Richard Morgan
If you are a SF fan Altered
Carbon
is going to blow your mind... it is good in
so many ways. In the 26th century mankind
has spread through the galaxy and what religion
cannot guarantee technology has already delivered;
when your consciousness can be stored in a
cortical stack and routinely downloaded into
a new body, even death has become little more
than an inconvenience... as long as you can
afford a new body. |
Amazing
Women: Amazing Firefighters by Marsh Engle
Amazing women float in and out of our lives
everyday, yet do we ever take the time to
celebrate their life? Marsh Engle's Amazing
Women book & journal series urges the
reader to take the time to recognize the extraordinary
power of the feminine spirit.
Denise has reviewed the latest in the series,
Amazing
Women: Amazing Firefighters. |
Touch
the Face of God by Robert Vaughan
In Touch
the Face of God Lt. Mark White, a B-17
bomber pilot, meets Emily Hagan only weeks
before he ships out to England. They fall
in love through letters as each faces the
war on separate sides of the Atlantic, but
will the war and a misunderstanding tear them
apart forever? |
The
Feng-Shui Junkie by Brian Gallagher
When
Julie returns home unexpectedly early from
a short holiday, only to find a strange lemon-yellow
Wonderbra hanging on the inside doorknob of
their Dublin flat, she is confronted by the
inescapable fact that her husband Ronan is
having an affair. But who with? And above
all, why? And who is The
Feng-Shui Junkie? |
And
finally...
...we have received a couple of books from
publishers and authors this month that will
be reviewed next time. Firstly, we have Black
Water by Jefferson Parker, an author
who has been compared to Michael Connolly.
Secondly, we have Bonneville
Stories by Mark Doyon, a collection
of darkly comic tales set around the fictitious
town of Bonneville. Both look potentially
very good but we will let you know next time. |
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The 'Even Smaller' update
Another
quiet month I'm afraid, what with Weddings, Honeymoons
and Parties
all hopefully back on track
next time.
A number of books from authors are currently being
read and reviewed. Nigel has a copy of Blood Lust,
a humorous vampire horror story and initial reports
are that it is very good. BookLore has also managed
to get a proof copy of Linda Fairstein's next
novel, The Bone Vault, thanks to publisher Little,
Brown. Not due for release until January 2003
Chrissi is happily reading it for next months
update.
We
will have a bit of a reviewer push in October
and try and bring you what you deserve next time.
The
site servers are currently experiencing traffic
problems with a lot of "Page Cannot Be Displayed"
messages and lost graphics, etc. Our provider
assures us this is being sorted out so hopefully
all will be back to normal very soon.
*Happy
anniversary, again:) |
The
Beach House by James Patterson
Chrissi
has reviewed the latest thriller from James
Patterson. The
Beach House sees Jack Mullen investigating
the death of his brother, something the Police
say was an accident. Things don't quite add
up thought and Jack tries to find the truth...
only to discover that money can buy just about
anything. |
Schild's
Ladder by Greg Egan
Schild's
Ladder
is the latest SF novel from Australian author
Greg
Egen. An experiment gone wrong threatens
to destroy mankind and ultimately the Universe
(ours anyway).Can Tchicaya and Mariama sort
out there differences and solve the riddle? |
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Fleeting
Thoughts by Michael McGan
Nigel has added his thoughts about Michael
McGan's collection of personal speculations
on Life, the Universe and the Pilgrim Fathers.
Fleeting
Thoughts is a
clever series of postulations that the word
tangent was designed for... good fun. |
The
Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes by Mark Urban
Another
code based book from Chrissi... where does
she find them all? The
Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes tells the
true story of Major George Scovell who, as
the logistics officer in Wellington's army,
was entrusted with setting up communications
during the Peninsular War. |
And
finally...
..strangely, we have received a number of
review requests from religious authors, for
both fiction and non-fiction. We don't have
any reviewers at the moment suitable for these
items, so if anyone out there would like copies
for review we could use the extra input. If
theology is your game then send an email to
theology(at)booklore.co.uk. |
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The 'Short but Sweet' update
Nothing
if not honest... as promised last time a short
but sweet update due to the current workload.
We should be back on track next time with lots
of goodies. Meantime, enjoy the reviews and remember,
if you would like anything specific reviewing
don't hesitate to send in a request to reviews(at)booklore.co.uk.
*Happy
anniversary :) |
Little
People by Tom Holt
The
latest novel from Tom Holt involves Little
People, namely elves. It tells the story
of Michael, a young boy who has been psychologically
damaged by the fact that he saw an elf when
he was eight... and for the unlikely hero
it wasn't his last. |
The
Science of Discworld II - The Globe by Terry
Pratchett
The imaginatively titled The
Science of Discworld II is the sequel
to the fantastic Science
of Discworld. In the first instalment
we saw the authors discussing mankind and
his impact on the environment. In this book
they discuss Mind and what it is to be a thinking
thing and how this has actually come about. |
Tickled
Pink by Christina Jones
Christina Jones has kindly sent us a proof
copy of her new novel Tickled
Pink,
which we believe will now be in the shops.
It tells the story of Posy and Lola, two women
brought together following failed relationships. |
When
She Was Bad by Louise Bagshawe
In When
She Was Bad
we meet Lita Morales, an Hispanic girl from
the poor end of the Bronx who has two major
assets: she's utterly gorgeous and she also
has a brain like a steel trap. Her ambition
burns so brightly it's almost overwhelming.
Life is going to give her exactly what she
wants - success, power and money. |
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Blindsighted
by Karin Slaughter
Chrissi has picked up
Blindsighted
after Nigel's review last month and was even
more blown away. This book is a must for any
horror/thriller fan, with excellent writing
and a great plot. |
Barney
Thomson by Douglas Lindsay
As promised last month Victim has added reviews
for the first three Barney Thomson novels
with The
Long Midnight of Barney Thomson, The
Cutting Edge of Barney Thomson and A
Prayer for Barney Thomson. |
Murder
in LaMut by Raymond E. Feist & Joel Rosenberg
Another title in the never ending Riftwar
series Murder
in LaMut
tells the story of Durine, Kethol and Pirojil,
three mercenaries who have spent twenty years
fighting other people's battles. Now they
have been given an assignment that seems,
on the surface, like cushy work - to protect
a lady and her husband and deliver them safely
to the city of LaMut. All is not what it seems
however. |
And
finally...
..we have received several books from authors
this month so look out for some in depth reviews,
including a horror story about vampires with
a comic twist from Rhys Wilcox and Fleeting
Thoughts by Michael McGan, a collection of
humour pieces in the form of essays, stories,
and satirical bits on things such as time-travel,
psychics, and TV soap operas. |
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The 'Not all Websites are Interactive' update
Hi
everyone, welcome to the August update. We have
had another good month for authors. Nigel has
finished Sardurvial
Dissenting, Keith Rommel's as yet unpublished
novel about a fallen angel trying to redeem himself
and return to heaven. We also have an informal
Interview
with Keith that makes interesting reading, as
well as a short Author
article with links to free sample chapters.
Also reviewed is a proof copy of Karin Slaughter's
debut novel, Blindsighted,
due for paperback release in October
a very
good thriller to rival the best.
What of the database we hear you ask... having
started to play around with PHP and MySql we have
added BookLore
Interactive to the site using the fantastic
GeekLog
code. The idea is to provide an interactive forum
for user of the site to discuss books, authors,
news or any old thing really. Have a look, set
up a user account and start some seriously profound
discussions
or use it to arrange pub-crawls.
*Another
month without a Pratchett review. I think we can
safely say Chrissi has failed her task. A months
washing-up as a penance. :) |
Hard
Eight by Janet Evanovich
Chrissi
has reviewed Hard
Eight by Janet Evanovich, the, errr
eighth book to feature Stephanie Plum, the
bombshell bounty hunter of Trenton, New Jersey.
Why is a giant rabbit stalking Steph? Don't
ask me
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Sardurvial
Dissenting by Keith Rommel
Sardurvial
Dissenting is the latest novel from Keith
Rommel. Sardurvial, a fallen Angel in the
service of the Father (aka Satan) is having
a change of heart and wants to return to heaven
and gain God's forgiveness. However, dissent
from one of the Fathers subjects is not tolerated
and Sardurvial has to fight for his very life. |
Enigma
by Robert Harris
Chrissi is reading titles to do with codes
and cyphers following her enjoyment of The
Code Book. Enigma
by Robert Harris is a fictional account of
Bletchley Park and it's code breakers. |
Career
Girls by Louise Bagshawe
Chrissi has finished yet another Louise Bagshawe
novel. This time we have Career
Girls, the story of best friends who become
deadly rivals.
Their hatred would take a lifetime to die
or so they believed. |
Russian
Experiences by The Raven and Marie Claire
This
will be the last e-book reviewed for a while,
unless we can get some dedicated e-book reviewers.
The non-fiction title Russian
Experiences by The Raven and Marie Claire
is reviewed by Denise M. Clark and Dan Murr.
It tells about real life in the Communist
country, recently called the USSR, now known
as the Russian Federation. |
The
Long Midnight of Barney Thomson by Douglas
Lindsay
Things have gone Barney mad at the moment.
No sooner do we receive a review for The
Long Midnight of Barney Thomson from Ray
do we get reviews for the first three novels
from Victim. Not enough time to do them all
this update so check back next month for more. |
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Blindsighted
by Karin Slaughter
Nigel has read a proof copy of Karin Slaughter's
debut
novel, Blindsighted,
due for release in October. The sleepy town
of Heartsdale, Georgia, is jolted into panic
when a women is found dead in the local diner.
When a second victim is found, crucified,
it is apparent the murder wasn't a one-off
attack but the work of a seasoned sexual predator.
A violent serial killer... |
Dancing
in the Moonlight by Christina Jones
Chrissi has managed to finally get a copy
of Christina Jones's first novel Dancing
in the Moonlight. A romance, it tells
the story of stable jockey Rosa Brennan and
her dream of becoming a top jockey, with more
than a little help from a handsome friend.
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Station
X by Michael Smith
This ties in nicely with the Enigma
review opposite. Station
X by Michael Smith tells the
true story of Bletchley Park
and the people who worked there during
the Second World War to
break Germany's codes. Chrissi has got really
hooked on this code stuff... as you can probably
tell.  |
The
Cold Calling by Will Kingdom
Chrissi has reviewed The
Cold Calling by Will Kingdom. When
Maiden is revived in hospital after dying
in a hit and run incident, his memories are
not the familiar ones of bright lights and
angelic music, only of a cold, harsh place
he has no wish to revisit
ever. But
his experience means that Bobby Maiden may
be the only person who can reach The Green
Man, a serial murderer the police don't even
know exists. |
And
finally...
...the September update may be on the brief
side as Chrissi and Nigel are getting married
(about time. Ed.) early that month and lots
of beer has to be consumed... as well as a
bit of organising and other stuff not nearly
as important.  |
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The 'Revenge of the Smilie' update
I
don't know
do you know how much e-mail we
have received complaining about the lack of smilies
in the last two updates? Go on, guess
none!
Not a single lament for the happy faces. So, back
by non-popular demand
. 
We
have received a manuscript
copy
of Keith Rommel's next novel, Sardurvial Dissenting.
Nigel is currently reading it so expect a review
next month, along with an author interview. Also
sent in by those nice people at Random House is
a proof copy of Karin Slaughter's Blindsighted,
a crime thriller to rival the best... check the
review next month to see if the book matches the
hype.
Please enjoy the reviews and if there is any particular
book anyone wants reviewing, just ask. 
*No
Pratchett reviews from Chrissi this month... complaints
to lazychrissi(at)booklore.co.uk. |
The
Stone Monkey
by Jeffery Deaver
Chrissi reviews the latest Lincoln Rhyme
thriller, The
Stone Monkey by Jeffery Deaver. Lincoln
Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs manage
to track down a cargo ship carrying illegal
immigrants, as well as the notorious killer,
the Ghost. When the Ghost's capture goes disastrously
wrong,they find themselves in a race against
time - to stop the Ghost before he can murder
the two surviving families who have vanished
deep into the labyrinthine world of New York's
Chinese community. |
The
Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams
The
Salmon of Doubt comprises ten chapters
of the Dirk Gently novel on which Douglas
Adams was working at the time of his death
in May 2001, along with an astonishing collection
of pieces recovered from his beloved Macintosh
computer. |
Jessie
by Anna Jacobs
Chrissi has read Jessie,
the third book sent to BookLore by the author
Anna
Jacobs. Jessie Burton is lively and intelligent
and she wants more than the respectable life
in service her mother has long planned for
her. And times are changing: railways are
being built across the land, bringing new
freedom and possibilities. |
Without
Fail by Lee Child
Chrissi has reviewed her first novel
by Lee Child,
Without
Fail. Jack Reacher walks alone. No job,
no ID, no last known address. But he never
turns down a plea for help. Now a woman tracks
him down, because she needs a hand with her
new job. Her task? Protecting the Vice-President
of the United States. |
Exhortation
- The Art of Persuasion Is Tempting by Tony
Vogiantzis
Tara sent in this review for Exhortation
- The Art of Persuasion Is Tempting
by
Tony
Vogiantzis.
The
story takes place in Europe where four notorious
bank robbers have set out to rob every major
European City bank. |
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Decipher
by Stel Pavlou
If it is a well researched Action/Adventurer
yarn to rival Michael Crichton you want look
no further than Decipher
by Stel Pavlou. There
is a signal emanating from deep within the
ice of Antarctica. Atlantis has awoken. Ancient
monuments all over the world from the Pyramids
of Giza, to Mexico, to the ancient sites of
China are reacting... to a brewing crisis
not of this earth, but somewhere out in the
solar system. |
Muriel
Gray
Two Muriel Gray reviews this month. The
Ancient, a very gory account of an Inca
priest trying to be reborn, is reviewed by
Nigel while Chrissi adds her thoughts on Furnace,
the novel Nigel loved and Kevin hated... what
does Chrissi think? |
Critical
Mass by Steve Martini
In Critical
Mass Joselyn 'Joss' Cole is trying to
get away from her old life as a public defender
in LA. When a rich client is subpoenaed
to appear before a federal grand jury and,
just minutes before testifying, he is killed
in a fiery explosion on board his floatplane
and life becomes complicated again. |
City
of Bones by Michael Connelly
Chrissi reviews the latest Harry Bosch novel,
City
of Bones, by Michael Connelly. When the
bones of a twelve-year-old boy are found scattered
in the Hollywood Hills, Harry Bosch is drawn
into a case that brings up the darkest memories
from his own haunted past. The
bones have been buried for years, but the
cold case doesn't deter Bosch. Unearthing
hidden stories, he finds the child's identity
and reconstructs his fractured life, determined
that he not be forgotten. |
And
finally...
...we would like to wish Victim
a very happy birthday and hope he enjoys all
the books he is going to get... so much so
he shares his views with us all.  |
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'Jubilee' update
We have had a bit of a reviewer push this time
more of a slave drive actually. We wanted to go
through the 300 review mark so we pushed a little
harder than usual and thanks to the response we
have 20 reviews this month, making a total of
304. Not many by some sites standards but we are
quite pleased.
Anna
Jacobs
has been nice enough to send us three of her novels,
Lancashire
Lass, Lancashire
Legacy and Jessie.
She writes predominately historical romances but
also some Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Check
out the reviews and see what you think
We have been scouring the web to try and bring
you some information in the way of Publication
Dates and think we have created a useful list
now (which is more than can be said for the last
one! Ed.). If you want the release date for a
particular author or book mail forthcoming(at)booklore.co.uk
and we will see what we can do.
We have also tidied the site a little and pulled
all the Articles
together into a new section, whilst at the same
time adding two new ones. The first, The
History Of BookLore, was a request of Anne
Weale who writes the Bookworm on the Net column
for The
Bookseller, the UK's leading book trade weekly.
The second is Three
Go Mad In Wales about a day trip to Hay-On-Wye,
which has the world's largest concentration of
bookshops selling old and out-of-print books.
*Oh
dear.... Chrissi has gone insane! She has decided
to continue with ALL of Terry Pratchett's books...
starting with Only You Can Save Mankind... |
Pulling
Power by Christian Cook
Christian
Cook has kindly sent us his latest novel,
Pulling
Power, which tells the story of five lifelong
friends and a game of Russian Roulette with
power plugs and life support equipment...
sounds weird but it is another great read
from an up-and-coming author. |
2nd
Chance by James Patterson
Lindsay Boxer, San Francisco's only woman
homicide detective, is back in James Patterson's
2nd
Chance - the mind-blowing new thriller
in the Women's Murder Club series. |
Ender's
Game by Orson Scott Card
Vex has reviewed Ender's
Game by Orson Scott Card, the first in
the Ender saga. They are simple on the surface
but question the ethics of mankind and his
role in the cosmos
a
must for every Science Fiction fan. |
Anna
Jacobs
We have been sent several books by the author
Anna
Jacobs. All historical romances, Lancashire
Lass and Lancashire
Legacy have been reviewed by Chrissi while
Alma has read and reviewed Jessie.
Three excellent novels by all accounts. |
Web
Site Story by Robert Rankin
Robert Rankin delves into the world of cyberspace
with Web
Site Story. A computer virus is about
to make the deadly species crossover from
machine to mankind. The Black Death was spread
by rats. But this plague will be spread by
a mouse. The computer mouse. |
Terry
Pratchett
We have a deluge of reviews for Terry Pratchett
books this month. Chrissi has decided to continue
her odyssey with Only
You Can Save Mankind, Johnny
and the Dead and Johnny
and the Bomb while Nigel has reviewed
the excellent The
Science of Discworld.
We also have another review for The
Truth sent in by Vex and The
Amazing Maurice | | | | |