Saturday, October 27, 2001
The Winds of Time
by Chad Oliver
I picked this up at the Friends of the Library sale. It was part of a three novel collection featuring my favorite sub-genre, time travel. 'Twas nothing spectacular, merely (!) a good, solid science-fiction tale. It tells the story of a vacationing man who comes across a group of aliens who have been sequestered in the Colorado mountains for millennia, sleeping in suspended animation. It's almost two stories: one about the aliens and their purpose for coming to Earth, the other about a man who makes first contact and discovers his own alienation. If you're looking for a good science fiction tale to read, I'd advise you to check it out.
LibraryThing link
I picked this up at the Friends of the Library sale. It was part of a three novel collection featuring my favorite sub-genre, time travel. 'Twas nothing spectacular, merely (!) a good, solid science-fiction tale. It tells the story of a vacationing man who comes across a group of aliens who have been sequestered in the Colorado mountains for millennia, sleeping in suspended animation. It's almost two stories: one about the aliens and their purpose for coming to Earth, the other about a man who makes first contact and discovers his own alienation. If you're looking for a good science fiction tale to read, I'd advise you to check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
Thursday, October 18, 2001
Vulcan's Heart
Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz
I tried reviewing another Star Trek novel over at the old Unearthed Ruminations message board. The only response I got was a person saying that he didn't read books that were TV tie-ins as they consistently lacked depth and characterization. Well, he was right and I felt a bit ashamed reading this one even though Amazing Stories called it a "first rate SF novel." But there's something about exploring a fictional world that keeps attracting me. Take this book. (Please.) I would dare to disagree with Amazing and call this tale mediocre. Things get predictable and you know darn well that neither Spock, the Federation nor the Romulan Empire will suffer doom. Yet I did get pleasure from this book in a lot of little touches and details -- the description of a Romulan spaceport, the brief scene featuring a character who had a far briefer role in the series, the dramatization of Vulcan politics. I don't know if I would have appreciated it if this was my first exposure to Star Trek. But since I am familiar with the series, I can gloss over details I already know and focus on those smaller touches. Anyway, like I said, the book isn't all that great. Definitely waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
I tried reviewing another Star Trek novel over at the old Unearthed Ruminations message board. The only response I got was a person saying that he didn't read books that were TV tie-ins as they consistently lacked depth and characterization. Well, he was right and I felt a bit ashamed reading this one even though Amazing Stories called it a "first rate SF novel." But there's something about exploring a fictional world that keeps attracting me. Take this book. (Please.) I would dare to disagree with Amazing and call this tale mediocre. Things get predictable and you know darn well that neither Spock, the Federation nor the Romulan Empire will suffer doom. Yet I did get pleasure from this book in a lot of little touches and details -- the description of a Romulan spaceport, the brief scene featuring a character who had a far briefer role in the series, the dramatization of Vulcan politics. I don't know if I would have appreciated it if this was my first exposure to Star Trek. But since I am familiar with the series, I can gloss over details I already know and focus on those smaller touches. Anyway, like I said, the book isn't all that great. Definitely waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: StarTrek, WaitingRoomMaterial
Tuesday, October 09, 2001
The Two Babylons
by Rev. Alexander Hislop
Ah, where to start with this book? For me, it was a book of surprises. I was expecting it to contain an attack on the Christian teaching of the Trinity. Instead, I found that the author believes in the Trinity just as I do. I was expecting the book to be rife with personal opinions and short on knowledge. Instead, it is full of footnotes citing a variety of classic and contemporary works. I was expecting to be disgusted with malicious Catholic bashing. Instead, I found my self reminded that many of the beliefs and practices in the Roman Catholic church are wrong. I was planning on skimming the book and returning it post haste to the library. Instead, I spent the last couple of weeks reading it through. The Two Babylons is an attempt to prove that certain Roman Catholic beliefs and practices are directly linked to heresies that began in ancient Babylon. Hislop attempts to show the connections in practice and language between that church and various non-Christian religions, all of which he manages to link to the reign of Nimrod and his wife. In one sense, it's fascinating, showing distorted reflections of Christian teachings in mythologies around the world. (reminiscent of Don Richardson's Eternity in their Hearts) But I think sometimes he goes too far in trying to prove his theory. Perhaps 1500 years ago some people were secretly celebrating Saturnalia and disguising their festivities as Christmas, but today I doubt that any Catholic, even the Pope himself, is covertly worshiping the sun on December 25th. Anyway, despite its potential to offend, I would have to rate this as good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Ah, where to start with this book? For me, it was a book of surprises. I was expecting it to contain an attack on the Christian teaching of the Trinity. Instead, I found that the author believes in the Trinity just as I do. I was expecting the book to be rife with personal opinions and short on knowledge. Instead, it is full of footnotes citing a variety of classic and contemporary works. I was expecting to be disgusted with malicious Catholic bashing. Instead, I found my self reminded that many of the beliefs and practices in the Roman Catholic church are wrong. I was planning on skimming the book and returning it post haste to the library. Instead, I spent the last couple of weeks reading it through. The Two Babylons is an attempt to prove that certain Roman Catholic beliefs and practices are directly linked to heresies that began in ancient Babylon. Hislop attempts to show the connections in practice and language between that church and various non-Christian religions, all of which he manages to link to the reign of Nimrod and his wife. In one sense, it's fascinating, showing distorted reflections of Christian teachings in mythologies around the world. (reminiscent of Don Richardson's Eternity in their Hearts) But I think sometimes he goes too far in trying to prove his theory. Perhaps 1500 years ago some people were secretly celebrating Saturnalia and disguising their festivities as Christmas, but today I doubt that any Catholic, even the Pope himself, is covertly worshiping the sun on December 25th. Anyway, despite its potential to offend, I would have to rate this as good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: WaitingRoomMaterial
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