Last month you may recall that I reviewed Isaac Asmiov's first novel, Pebble in the Sky, which was part of the Galactic Empire series. Now here's where it gets interesting because even though he wrote this one first it wasn't actually the first book of the series...it actually started with The Currents of Space which coincidentally is what I'll be reviewing today. (Do I know how to prologue a post or what, guys?) So far, I'd say that there is absolutely no need to read these in any particular order as there are no character crossovers and in fact only cursory mention of Earth at all (which is where 99.9% of the action took place in Pebble in the Sky). In this story, we are introduced to Rik (not his real name), Valona (peasant mill worker), Townman (title not name), Junz (cool cat), Abel (mover and shaker), and the Great Squires of Sark (I'll let the book describe these). This book's main focus is on classism especially on the world of Florina where the major commodity is kyrt (super fancy clothing is made from it). There's intrigue, rebellion, derring-do, and space yachts. Asimov is the king of sci-fi for a reason, ya'll. I was swept away on a gentle cloud of otherworldliness. The last book of the series is proving difficult to obtain but hopefully I'll have my hands (actually ears) on it soonish. XD However, if you're looking for a fun read and/or want to continue the Galactic Empire series then you'd be accomplishing both objectives by reading The Currents of Space.

I have to be completely honest about how this particular book came to my notice. I was watching Star Trek: The Next Generation and I got to an episode about a planet where the inhabitants were not allowed to live past a certain age due to resource control (the old people were a drag on the society). I looked at the trivia for this episode (Season 4, Episode 22 "Half a Life" if you're curious) and discovered that the story was inspired by Isaac Asimov's Pebble in the Sky. Naturally, I needed to read this book. Some of you might recall that I reviewed I, Robot two years ago and loved it. I'm sad it's taken me this long to get to reading another book by him honestly... Now without further ado, the review!  I LOVED IT, YA'LL. This book has it all: time travel, space-y drama, and RADIOACTIVITY. Seriously, radioactivity is a major plot device. The time period which this book was written definitely plays a role in the tenor of this book (I'm looking at you, atomic bomb). Asimov blends reality with scientific innovation to create a world where Earth is but one of thousands of planets which comprise the Galactic Empire. (Actually I fell into a trap here because it turns out that Pebble in the Sky is a part of Asimov's Galactic Empire series so...) There's Joseph Schwartz who finds himself taking a giant leap into the future. (This is only funny once you've read the book.) Bel Arvardan is your typical Galactic citizen and archaeologist who wants to uncover the mystery of humanity's beginning...on Earth of all places. Who would have thought that a backwards Earthman like Dr. Shekt could invent a device that could help to thwart a revolt and simultaneously give one man unimaginable powers? In a world where the Earth is seen as 'other' and the Earthman is treated as inferior there is intrigue, burgeoning love, and institutionalized racism. The reader follows multiple storylines that weave together to form a narrative that is compelling, thought provoking, and imaginative. If you haven't ready any of Isaac Asimov's writing and you want to read truly excellent sci-fi then you should start here. 10/10 highly recommend

Raymond L. Weil is definitely on my top ten list of authors. This book is another book from him that I enjoyed a lot. It continues the Galactic Empire Wars story about six years from when the last book ended. Again we are treated to some fairly plausible science fiction, some great action both on the ground and in space and a bunch of enjoyable characters.

There are not so much political nonsense in this book which is perhaps not so surprising given how they dealt with the useless career politicians in the last book (I still wish we could do that for real, especially with the useless EU oxygen wasters). Not that there was much in the previous book either which for me is a positive thing.

However, another snake have entered the garden in the form of the usual you are not real people, your are inferior to us nonsense towards the clones that have and are being created to man the fleet and army the humans need to survive. I cannot say that I liked those parts very much. Not only do I find the entire discussion old, boring and stupid in general but it is downright frustrating to read about people who are so totally brain damaged that they, for no good reason whatsoever, just pisses on the warriors that stands between them and the annihilation of the human race.

Apart from those annoying parts this is a great book. With the Strell out of the picture things are again looking grim for the human survivors. However, as in the other books in the series, the Kleese are about to find out that they might actually not be the biggest bad asses around any more. This is another thing that I like with these books. The humans might be taking a beating from time to time but they do have a habit of kicking alien butt more often than not. So much that the Kleese warrior cast starts to get a bit of grumbling respect for the humans.

Again I am looking forward to the next book in the series. If all the various technologies from the advanced races that the Kleese tries to roll over ends up in an alliance between the (remaining) nonaligned worlds and the humans then it is clobber time indeed!

I have to say that I really liked this book. It is definitely my type of book. Big bad guys comes and wrecks havoc with the human civilization thinking we are little more than cattle that can be disposed of how and when they feel like it. Big bad guys are about to learn that they might be bigger but the humans sure as hell are “badder”. There are plenty of action in this book and it is a nice mix between marine ground action and fleet action in space. I truly enjoyed this.

The book is as well written as most of the other books that I have read from this author (which is most of the books that he has written). This means that the science is plausible in a science fiction kind of way, the characters are nice and the story is a good one. The story might be a bit light compared to some books but I rather have a light adventure story with a good mix of action, character development and bits and pieces that rounds off the scenario than a deep story that spends way too much time on character interaction and political nonsense.

Speaking of political nonsense. I really like how they are dealing with the surviving career politicians. I whish we could do that right now. Especially when it comes to the useless money wasters in the European Union.

I also quite like how the humans constantly manages to repeatedly either outgun or outsmart the overconfident Kleese. Sometimes they do both at the same time. I really do not like stories where the humans are the constant underdogs that are simply overrun all the time and just hangs on by some chain of bizarre events or by the mercy of some aliens.

If I would complain about something it would be this business with the Strell empire. Obviously I am not going into any details since that would be a huge spoiler but I am not entirely comfortable with that bit. Apart from not feeling entirely right morally it also feels like a very dangerous course of action that I am pretty sure would backfire in a real situation.

Well, I am eagerly looking forward to the next instalment in this book series. From the ending of this book it looks like there will be some “interesting” times ahead for the human survivors and their allies.

This book is one of Zahn's Star Wars novels. It takes place between Star Wars IV: A New Hope and V: The Empire Strikes Back, when Han Solo and Chewbacca have returned to their smuggling career. Although Zahn uses the characters' names and makes occasional references to Star Wars, this strikes me as gratuitous. Those references could easily be written out without any effect on the story.

This is a Mission Impossible or Ocean's Eleven story, set on a "galactic empire" type world. Han is hired to steal back some money that was stolen from his client. He assembles a team of thieves for the project, and discovers his target is an organized crime lord who also holds blackmail records that may be even more valuable. Zahn sets up a complex set of obstacles for Han to overcome and delivers an equally complex set of solutions. The characters occasionally stop and explain the convoluted relationships within the crime and why their actions are clever. Zahn does not let us in on some things Han knows, which is a technique that happens to irritate me. At times, it all seemed too cute, but the action moves right along. The epilog offers some of those missing ties back to Star Wars and sets up for the next novel. My e-copy also included 190 pages of excerpts from other Star Wars novels.

As long as you're not expecting a continuation of the Star Wars story line, this is a good book for those who enjoy the Mission Impossible sort of story.