The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

Review of The Tomorrow Code - Brian Falkner

Other Worlds' Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

Plain and simple - I loved this book. LOVED it. It had everything that I think makes a good book - great characters, great plot, great idea.

This is about Tane and Rebecca, who start receiving messages in binary code from the future. Soon, the messages reveal that something terrible is about to happen - and that they're the only ones who can stop it.

This book had thriller pacing, and great character development. At about halfway through the book, I found it was impossible to put down - I read the rest of the book straight through from there. The best part - this was possibly the most believable time-travel story I've ever heard of before. I guess it's not really time-travel, since the characters don't actually travel through time, but still, it's based around the future altering the past, and it's believable. That takes some serious work to do, in my book, but Falkner pulls it off beautifully. I plan to read more by this author.

Long story short - click on the link below, and buy this book, because it's awesome.

Book Review: Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky

Book Review of Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences - Brian Yansky


Other Worlds' Rating: 9 out of 10 stars 

 Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences is a witty science-fiction adventure. It is told from the point of view of Jesse, a young teenager whose life is turned upside down when telepathic aliens called "Sanginians" conquer earth in ten seconds.

Jesse is spared during the invasion because he is "superior product", and finds himself in the home of the leader of the alien invasion. He, and the other humans he meets there, are hopeless that they will ever escape, or get their lives back. But when an imprisoned human girl starts visiting Jesse in his dreams, Jesse starts to question how invincible this new alien race really is.

This book is funny, though-provoking, and engaging all at the same time. The story being told through Jesse's eyes makes it humorous, but all the more real. This book even has a little bit of a commentary on corporate corruption, and on loyalty in the face of hardship. This book is a great read, regardless of whether you like alien invasion stories or not.

I highly recommend this title.

Book Review: Star Wars: Revan by Drew Karpyshyn

Book Review of Star Wars: Revan - Drew Karpyshyn

Other Worlds' Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Alright, well, just to warn you, this review is coming from a huge fan of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games. I loved the games - both of them. So this review may be slightly biased.

I really, really liked this book. That said, the ending was really pretty sad for me, and it's hard to say whether I felt like this book was a let down or not. One thing I really liked about it is the fact that Karpyshyn remained completely true to his characters in this book - I felt like all of the characters acted exactly how they should have, and that this book wasn't created simply as a giant billboard for the new game, Star Wars: The Old Republic.

However, one thing I think this book did well was that it gave good insight into the world of the new Bioware game without being overly "preachy" about it. It revealed many things about the setting of the new MMO that was just released, but I didn't feel like I was being told to buy the game throughout the whole book.

In summary, this book is really pretty good, and really fun. However, it is pretty sad, especially for anyone who knows and loves the character Revan.

Book Review: The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

Book Review of The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan

Other Worlds' Rating: 9 out of 10 stars


Ever since finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, there has been a bit of a void caused by the lack of more Harry Potter to read. I've found lots of books I love, but none have come as close to feeling as close to Harry Potter as Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. I've come to love the characters in these books about as much as I fell in love with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, and all the rest. Percy, Annabeth, Grover - these characters are what make these books great.

Specifically, this book is even better than the last two. It is the sequel to The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters. It continues the story of demi-god Percy Jackson, son of the sea god Poseidon. The plot thickens in this book as Annabeth is captured early on, as well as the godess Artemis. It is up to Percy, Grover, and their friends to find and release them before the Titan's curse becomes too much for them.

This continuation of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is as enjoyable, if not more so, than it's predecessors. These books have a special kind of fun and adventure about them that is hard to find. Also, if you've only seen the movie version of The Lightning Thief, or if you haven't read these books at all, it's time to. The link is right down there. Get this series and read it today - you'll love it.

Book Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Book Review of The Giver - Lois Lowry


Other Worlds' Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

This is the 1994 Newberry Award winner. It is about Jonas, who lives in the future, at a time when everyone and everything is the same. Children are given the same toys, people are assigned jobs based on their aptitudes, and the elderly are cared for until they reach a certain age, and then they are released. It is the perfect society.

....or so it seems. Jonas's twelfth birthday is coming up soon, and that is the birthday where children are assigned to and start training for the jobs they will do as an adult. At the Ceremony of Twelves, Jonas is assigned a special job in the community, which shatters the perception he's had of his community forever, as he discovers the secrets that lay behind it.

I really quite enjoyed this book. The best way I can think to describe it is to say that it's like a Fahrenheit 451 for younger readers. It addresses many of the same themes and thoughts. I felt like it was extremely well written, and I was sucked in as soon as I had gotten a few pages into it.

I would recommend this book to adults and children alike. I think that it raises interesting points that will make you think, and will also perhaps help you appreciate the world we live in know. A great read!

Book Review: The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Book Review of The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks


Other Worlds' Rating: 5 out of 10 stars 


The Sword of Shannara is often mentioned as classic fantasy. It is about a boy named Shea Ohmsford, who lives in his peaceful Shady Vale, a small community that is near perfection. However, that changes when one of the Warlock Lord's Skull Bearers brings the power of darkness comes looking for him.

This is your cut and dry, traditional farm-boy-gets/has-powers-that-enable-him-to-be-the-one-to-save-the-world-by-defeating-evil-overlord story. Frankly, I found this story rather generic. This would possibly be a good book to anyone who has never read another farm boy saves the world fantasy, but even then, it is lengthy, slow, and can be fairly hard to get through. This novel feels like it was simply written to jump on the Tolkien-Robert Jordan bandwagon, and frankly, this is a mediocre bandwagon book at best.

I probably wouldn't recommend this book unless you've read lots of Terry Brooks' other Shannara books and liked them. And even then, it might be a slower paced book than you're used to, so just prepare yourself (I know - I read a bunch of his other books before reading this one).

Book Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Book Review of The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman


Other Worlds' Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

This book is about a young boy, Nobody Owens, who is raised in a graveyard by the ghostly inhabitants. The book is about his adventures, his misadventures, and the mysterious person known only as the man Jack.

This book is wonderful. It was one of those rare books where reaching the end was a sad experience. I grew to love the characters, the story, and the atmosphere. This book is a Halloween gem, although it could certainly be read at other times of the year as well. It is the winner of both the Hugo Award and the Newberry Award. It's not often you see a book like that.

I loved the mixture of feelings in this book. Sometimes it feels suspenseful, sometimes it feels homey, and sometimes it's downright creepy. However, I'd recommend it to anyone - even if you don't like scary stories. Nobody Owens, the boy from the graveyard, will surely find his way into your list of most lovable characters.

Really. Read this book. You'll love it.