Book Review: The Precipice: Book One of the Asteroid Wars by Ben Bova

Book Review of The Precipice: Book One of the Asteroid Wars by Ben Bova


Other Worlds' Rating: 3 of 10 stars

Dan Randolph is the head of Astro Manufacturing. The Earth has just suffered a major global disaster - a giant greenhouse effect is causing a total restructuring of climates around the globe, and melting ice caps are causing catastrophic flooding in major coastal cities. In the midst of all this, a rival of Dan Randolph, Martin Humphreys, approaches him with a new idea - mine the asteroid belts using ships powered by experimental rockets to get the resources that Earth so desperately needs. Randolph is all about saving the earth, Humphreys is all about pulling a profit.

This book really had potential. It started off fairly strong, and seemed to have a great premise. However, this didn't last long. The characters soon became static, and there were several groups that served as "strawmen" for the characters to bash on - namely, several religious groups that were doing things that no religious group in their right minds would do. The religious groups were always getting in the way of progress, and always refused to see reason, etc. etc. etc. Honestly, it started to get to the point that I found this rather tiresome. As I mentioned, the characters were static - the good guys were good, the bad guys were bad, and the scoundrels were scoundrels...no one was changing, no one was having to take a major look inside to challenge their own beliefs, etc. It seemed as though this book were written for the sole purpose that the author thought that a fusion propelled rocket was a cool idea.

On top of these problems, the plot was extremely slow. It dragged horribly. While once again, the start was strong, and moved a little faster, soon the pace of the book leveled off into a tortoise-like crawl. I gave this book 3 stars because of the strong start, but that was about the only redeeming thing I found about it. I also found that the frequent swearing in the book was a nuisance.

I can't in good conscience recommend this book to anyone. I think that there are much stronger reads out there.

Book Review: Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, by Brandon Mull

Book Review of Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star - Brandon Mull


Other Worlds' Rating: 8 of 10 stars

This book is the sequel to Fablehaven, a New York Times best-selling novel which was reviewed by me here. It continues the story of Seth and Kendra Sorensen and the mysterious preserve for magical creatures. The sequel is better than the original in this book that extends the Fablehaven mythos into much wider territory. This book opens up the plot much further, and gives a much more overall view of what is really going on at Fablehaven.

I enjoyed the first Fablehaven, but this one really tops it. It brings in a whole new sense of intrigue and gives the magical world a much grander scale than the original. The characters deepen and we gain a greater appreciation and understanding of them. There are also new characters introduced that will quickly become readers' favorites.

Also, as a side note, I listened to part of this as an audiobook, and let me tell you, the performance was excellent.

To anyone who liked the first Fablehaven, this is a must read.

Book Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson

Book Review of Mistborn: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson

Other Worlds' Rating: 9 of 10 stars

Mistborn is a unique new fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson. It is focused around the character Vin, a street rat who has special powers of influence she calls "luck". She is found by the Mistborn Kelsier and his crew, and her life will never be the same. This book is centered around an inventive type of magic system called Allomancy, in which users burn metals ingested inside of them to use their magical abilities. It sounded a little strange to me at first, but Sanderson pulls it off remarkably well.

This book is definitely a 9 of 10. The characterization is great, the plot is riveting, and the mysteries of Allomancy will keep you thinking. It is rare that I find a book that I am so absorbed in. I highly recommend this book as a must read to any lover of fantasy. Sanderson's amazing tale-telling ability kept me reading and wanting more.

Seriously, read this book. And buy the sequel while you're at it, because you'll only want more when you're done.

Book Review: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Book Review of The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins


Other Worlds' Rating: 7 of 10 stars

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian, young adult science fiction novel set in a destroyed North America that has been renamed Panem. This nation consists of 13 Districts, the Capitol and the 12 other districts that were labeled rebellious. The Capitol decided to punish the rebellious districts by instituting the Hunger Games. A raffle is hosted among the children of the 12 rebellious districts, which all children are required to enter. Each district has 2 names drawn - one boy, and one girl. The children whose names are drawn from the raffle are entered in the Hunger Games, a brutal gladiator-like event where the contestants fight to the death. The event is televised for the entertainment of the citizens of the Captiol. Katniss is a young girl who ends up representing her district. She is faced with a difficult choice - kill or be killed.

I thought this book got off to a rather slow start. I had a difficult time feeling totally engaged in the book until about a third or half of the way through the book. However, the character Katniss was interesting enough to me to keep me reading until the Hunger Games actually start in the book, and then I was hooked from there. I gave this book 7 stars because of the slow start.

The book is written in an interesting way - a first person, present tense viewpoint makes the book both tense and riveting. I had a hard time not feeling tensed up at certain moments of the book when Katniss finds herself in danger. The book manages to convey Katniss's views and emotions in a way that I thought was excellent. It was hard not to feel like I was Katniss at some points, and the emotions I felt while reading matched hers. When she was in danger, I felt the danger. I was amazed by how well Collins managed this effect.

The plot was good, and very believable. I felt like the characters were well developed, and were very three dimensional. While sometimes characters suprised me, they never did anything that made me say, "Yeah right, they wouldn't have ever done that." I think that this made the characters feel like real people to me, in a way that is hard to find.

In a couple places, the book surprised me with its brutality and realism. Some of the deaths of characters in the Hunger Games are savage and ruthless. Since the book is written in first person from Katniss's view, the gorey details are often given when Katniss is privy to them. This book is probably not for the faint of heart or for children too young to cope with these details.

Overall, I really loved this book. I'm excited to read the next book soon.

Book Review: Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull

 Book Review of Fablehaven - Brandon Mull


Other Worlds' Rating: 7 of 10 stars

Seth and Kendra Sorenson visit their grandparents while their parents go on vacation, and, expecting a boring vacation, are pleasantly surprised. They find that their grandparents are the caretakers of a magical preserve, Fablehaven, and they meet and interact with magical creatures.

I enjoyed this book. However, I did find that it was a fairly slow starting book - the beginning dragged a bit and it took a while for me to get into the book. Once I was into it though, this book was a definitely a page turner. It was fairly difficult for me to put it down near the end.

I feel like the book presented a unique idea - which is refreshing in the often repetitive fantasy genre. The characters were unique, albeit with familiar characteristics. I feel like the writing is pretty good too, especially since this is Mull's debut novel. The novel features an ending battle which was both unexpected and awesome, pitting the forces of good against a demon released from imprisonment.

I would recommend this read, and would say that if you're having a hard time getting through the beginning of the book, just push through. The book is really quite good and is worth it in the end.

Book Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan

Book Review of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan


Other Worlds' Rating : 8 of 10 stars

I decided to read this after enjoying the recent film adaptation of this book. As is fairly typical, the book was much better than the movie was. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The goofy, almost sarcastic humor of Rick Riordan makes this book an immensely entertaining read.

The story is about 12 year old Percy Jackson, who is dyslexic and ADHD, and feels like hardly anything is going right in his life. His mom is married to the vile Gabe Ugliano, who lives for beer and poker, and hates work almost as much as he hates Percy. Percy knows little about his dad, whom he is informed died before he was born. Percy's main goal is to survive school and not incur Gabe's wrath too often.

However, when a vacation with his mom takes a turn for the worse, Percy discovers that the Greek gods of Olympus have never been more real, and that he is involved with them in a way that he never would have thought possible. Rick Riordan spins a tale of adventure and self discovery that will keep you both laughing and on the edge of your seat until the final page.

This book is advertised as children's literature, but I think that children and adults alike will enjoy this book. It was really a good read - I loved the writing style, and the plot was fairly gripping. Riordan had a fascinating view on how the Olympians could blend with modern society. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Book Review: Outbound Flight, by Timothy Zahn

Book Review of Outbound Flight - Timothy Zahn


Other Worlds' Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Star Wars: Outbound Flight was a great book. I listened to this one as an audiobook, read by Jonathan Davis. His performance was wonderful, with different voices for each character and some sound effects to enhance the mood of the book.

The book is centered around the Outbound Flight project, and around Star Wars characters Jorj Car'das and Mitth'raw'nuruodo (core name: Thrawn). It tells the story of Thrawn's earliest contact with the Republic, as Car'das and his smuggler shipmates find themselves in the Unknown Regions and are captured by Thrawn and the Chiss Ascendancy.

For those who have read Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire Series, or experienced Thrawn in any of the other books or video games in which he is present, this book is a fun new light on a familiar character. For those who have never heard of Thrawn, or only have a limited experience with him, this book is an excellent introduction.

Outbound Flight is a combined effort from the Jedi Council and the Republic, intending to send a number of Jedi and colonists into the Unknown Regions and beyond into another galaxy. The Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, however, has other plans for Outbound Flight. When Thrawn gets thrown into the mix, you have the makings for an awesome book.

Step into the Star Wars universe again and enjoy the excitement, intrigue, and military brilliance that is Outbound Flight. If you like Star Wars, you won't be sorry you picked this title up.

Book Review: Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson

Book Review of Elantris - Brandon Sanderson


Other Worlds' Rating : 9 out of 10 stars

First off, I'll just start by saying this book is great. One of my all time favorites. After reading it, I went searching for anything and everything by Brandon, only to find that this was his only published work. Luckily for people discovering his work now, he's written many more books, including finishing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.


Elantris is a city where Gods live. These are people that heal quickly, are seemingly immortal, and have greater insight, speed, and strength than normal people. And they can use magic. In fact, the residents of Elantris make an easy living as people come to them to get magical healings, etc. And the best part is, that anyone can become one of these Gods. You just have to be taken by the Shaod, which selects people, seemingly at random. You are taken by the Shaod, and then you're a God for all eternity. Good deal, right?


Well, there's one problem - as the prologue of the book states, "Eternity ended ten years ago."


The book begins ten years after Elantris myteriously fell, leaving its once glorious inhabitants as horrific, darkened creatures, unable to perform the simplest of magics that had been available to them only ten years ago.


This book is great. Seriously. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. It is set in a fantasy setting, but is full of mystery, political intrigue, and great, three-dimensional characters. Brandon Sanderson will keep you on the edge of your seat (or your bed, or wherever else you read) with this one.


I mean - the first line of the book states that the main character has been "damned for all eternity". From page one, Elantris keeps you wanting more. Once again, I loved this book. Reading it is a refreshingly new fantasy experience, and you certainly won't regret it.