Waukegan Public Library - science fiction

Have You Heard About... Leviathan

Fran J — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:15:22 +0000

… the living airships of World War I? The audiobook Leviathan* is a fantastic example of steampunk fiction done right. Scott Westerfeld adds mechanical robots and whale airships to World War I which makes it a hundred times more exciting.

The voice of Alan Cumming makes it easy to imagine yourself alongside Deryn, a girl pretending to be a boy in order to serve in the British Air Force. Deryn is one of my favorite characters of all time. She is funny, brave and incredibly smart. What I like most is the fact that she saves the Austrian Prince Alexander multiple times.

*Later books in the series include Behemoth and Goliath.

Reviewed by Vanessa (staff)

Have You Heard About... Manga Man

Fran J — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:53:21 +0000

…the funny-looking high school student? Barry Lyga and Colleen Doran’s Manga Man is a teenager from a manga world who falls through a rip into an American comic. Ryoko Kiyama still has all of his manga characteristics – big eyes, action lines, sweat drops, a tendency to change shape when he’s overcome with cuteness, and more – in a world that doesn’t support them. Everything is different here, from cultural norms to physics. The school custodian complains about having to clean up Ryoko’s action lines, and another student is badly hurt because Ryoko doesn’t understand how permanent injuries can be.

This graphic novel is an excellent look at being an outsider. Most teens feel like aliens in a world that doesn’t understand them, and Barry Lyga vividly portrays this with Ryoko and the American students in the high school. The tension increases when a beautiful girl falls in love with the bizarre stranger. Behind the scenes, monsters from the rip are trying to break through, too. Colleen Doran does a beautiful job with the art of both American comics and manga, showing the dichotomy between the two styles and making good use of manga’s distinctive characteristics.

Teen angst, science-fiction adventure, and romance – Manga Man has it all.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... Old Man’s War

Fran J — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:30:47 +0000

… the military retirement plan? At age seventy-five, you can join the army and go to war in outer space. That’s the basic premise of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War*. Despite the vast reaches of space, habitable planets are few and far between, so competition for them is fierce, and mankind must fight to defend Earth and find our own space to colonize.

The wars are brutal and never-ending, military training is harsh, and the new recruits will never see their homes again. This book could easily have become cold and depressing, but Scalzi’s deft writing saves it. He beautifully juggles gritty realism with wry humor, alien technology, and realistic characterization. He also encourages the reader to think about what it means to be human and the purposes of war. If you enjoy military or science fiction, give this book a try.

* The later books in this series are The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony, and Zoe’s Tale.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... Partners in Necessity

Fran J — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 06:32:48 +0000

… the Liaden universe and Clan Korval? Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s Partners in Necessity* tells the stories of two couples who meet and fall in love. Priscilla Delacroix y Mendoza joins Shan yos’Galan’s starship crew in desperation, trying to escape her past. It turns out to be one of the best choices she ever made, leading her to find a family and the love of her among the distant alien Liadens. Miri Robertson and Val Con yos’Phelium meet by chance on a dangerous world. She is a retired mercenary and a bodyguard who hired on with the wrong boss. He is an agent of change – former explorer, now part spy and part assassin – who needs to get away from a mission that is starting to deteriorate. Together they will find freedom and the ability to face a threat to both their family and the entire Liaden race.

Lee and Miller deftly blend epic space opera with sweet romance in these stories. They were originally published separately as Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change and Carpe Diem. The first story covers the introduction of Priscilla and Shan, and the second focuses on the meeting between Miri and Val Con, while the third interweaves the two narratives. The authors deftly build a fully-featured universe filled with three-dimensional characters, balancing romance with fast-paced action and humor.

*Other books about Clan Korval include Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, Pilots Choice, Plan B, and I Dare. This is roughly the chronological order of these stories (with Partners in Necessity falling between Pilots Choice and Plan B) rather than the order of original publication.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... Ghost in Trouble

Fran J — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 06:36:50 +0000

… the ghost who solves mysteries? A ghost’s work is never done in Ghost in Trouble* by Carolyn Hart.

Bailey Ruth is trying to help her oldest enemy but doesn’t have much luck. While doing her best to follow the “rules” of the Dept. of Good Intentions (avoid public notice is #1), Bailey Ruth just has to do things her way, which of course gets her into all kinds of laugh-out-loud situations.

This is a standalone book as it includes some back story on how Bailey Ruth got into the Dept of Good Intentions in the first place. The first two books* should be checked out so as not to miss any of the action in this set of cozy mysteries.

* The first two books in this series are Ghost at Work and Merry, Merry Ghost.

Reviewed by Terry (staff)

Have You Heard About... Feed

Fran J — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 06:29:38 +0000

… the zombie outbreak of 2014? Mira Grant’s* Feed** shows us what the world is like twenty-five years after the initial outbreak. Humans have survived, but so have zombies. People live with the knowledge that when they die, they will become zombies. Any person who is bitten by a zombie or come into contact with its blood will become a zombie. Any mammal over a certain size has the potential to become a zombie – your pets, the cow that became your steak – everything. However, life goes on, and people learn to live with the fears and the restrictions. 2040 is an election year, and a trio of bloggers has been chosen to be part of the press corps for a presidential contender. Blogging is gaining ground as a legitimate, respected source of news and information, but this will take it to a whole new level. For three bloggers in their 20s, part of the generation that has always had zombies as part of their world, this is the chance of a lifetime. However, politics is a dirty game, and some people will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Feed is an incredible story, filled with action, politics, and horror. Ms Grant does an amazing job of building a realistic world. She puts in careful details about how zombies would affect life, from eating out to the news to public gatherings. For a zombie novel, there is very little gore. The horror in Feed is far more psychological, and ultimately more terrifying. Although this is intended as the first in a series, it stands alone very well. You really get to know and empathize with the characters as they travel through the campaign trail, sharing their world with us through blog posts as well as the narration.

This is not a feel-good novel. It may make you think. It may make you look at our current world and wonder whether something similar to this could happen here, now, to us. Feed has one of the most realistic future worlds and some of the most believable characters I have read in years. I cried for most of the last five chapters of this book, and I can’t wait for the sequel.

* Mira Grant also writes very good urban fantasies as Seanan McGuire.

** The second book in the Newsflesh trilogy is Deadline.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Pam S — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:00:00 +0000

… the hit DVD, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice? This movie is classified as Sci Fi, but it’s definitely for the whole family.

Science and magic come together when one of Merlin’s original apprentices becomes a modern day sorcerer and, with his new apprentice, tries to save New York from an ancient evil sorcerer and a spell. A little bit of romance, tons of laughter and lots of fantastic special effects make this an awesome movie. In one scene there is a new twist on the classic Disney film ‘Fantasia.’ Be sure to watch the bonus features on how the movie was made – they will blow you away on how the magic was created. The deleted scene was cool too.

Reviewed by Terry (staff)

Have You Heard About... Blameless

Fran J — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 06:00:00 +0000

… the humorous steampunk Victorian romance with vampires and werewolves? Gail Carriger’s Blameless* picks up shortly after the end of Changeless, with both Lord and Lady Maccon dealing with the fallout of Alexia’s announcement. (I won’t leave any spoilers here, because this series is definitely better when read in order!) Our heroine’s situation is made even more dire by the disappearance of her dear friend Lord Akeldama and a series of attacks by vampires and their followers. Alexia heads for Italy with her loyal butler Floote and the incomparable Madame Lefoux, hoping to learn more about preternaturals from the Templars. Grand adventures ensue for both Alexia and Connall! Along the way, the reader learns more about the background of several secondary characters, including Madame Lefoux, Floote, Professor Lyall, and Ivy and her husband.

Blameless certainly leaves some open threads (among them is the debatable destruction of Lord Akaldama’s greatest treasure) that will have me leaping upon Heartless as soon as it is available. However, it has nothing like the wrenching cliffhanger in Changeless. Prepare a cup of tea, have your favorite parasol or hat to hand, and read on bravely!

One of my favorite quotes (from p. 21):

Lord Akeldama did everything fashionably, sometimes to the exclusion of all else, including common sense. If Lord Akeldama were to take up wrestling in vats of jellied eels, it would probably become fashionable within a fortnight.

* The previous books in the Parasol Protectorate series are Soulless and Changeless.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)