Ray Bradbury has died.

http://lisnews.org/developing_news_ray_bradbury_has_died

Brings me down, I still remember the first serious Research Paper I did years ago in college, a semester long paper, it was on Fahrenheit 451.

That paper was one of the first clear steps for me becoming a writer, I got an A-, would have been better grade but my Bibliography was rather poorly written.

Had plenty of good sources, but was first time I had made a Bibliography, and unfortunately it showed.

This last weekend was also first year anniversary of author Joel Rosenberg's death, an author I had the opportunity to meet, take a class from, and join for dinner.

If there is an author, or any person, that you admire or appreciate, make the time to tell them that.

You never know if your going to have another chance, and it means a lot to people to be admired and appreciated.

~Cliff

Jerry Pournell on Ebooks

First this from Jerry Pournell's blog:

With eBooks there is no competition for shelf space between new mid-list books and older books. They’re all available, and the store is always open. Both Mote and Hammer have been selling quite steadily as eBooks, and in fact have now sold more as eBooks than they did in their last print reissues. Other authors can tell the same story.

This matches closely with my thoughts and observations about Ebooks and publishing.

All The Way To The Gallows by David Drake

Ever laugh so hard that people turned to stare at you?

Well that happened to me more than once the first time I read All The Way To The Gallows.

It is hard for me to pick my favorite story in this Anthology, all the stories are by David Drake, but "Airborne All The Way" is the first one that made people stare at me when I started laughing so hard I cried.

But "Mom and the Kids" or "A Very Offensive Weapon" are better stories in my opinion.  They both made me laugh out loud the first time I read them.  And they still make me laugh most of the time when I reread them.

I think I would probably pick "A Very Offensive Weapon" as my favorite most days.  There is more word play humor that writers and thespians will appreciate.  For example, many of the Elves in this story are named after actual tranquilizers.  And I like to think of myself as a writer.


Also fans of other authors might be interested in this book, since at least a couple of the stories feature input from other authors.  Larry Niven and Roger Zelazny to name two of which I am certain.

Another of the stories was originally intended to tie in with Magic The Gathering.

I don't recommend this book for everyone, because much of the Humor is Gallows Humor, which many people find offensive.  Also I would rate it PG-13 for sexual innuendo.


But for anyone that likes, or needs, to laugh at death and despair I suggest you read it today if possible. 

But if you have any self consciousness, do yourself a favor and read in private.

The Complete Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper

I discovered Little Fuzzy, the first Fuzzy novel that was originally published in the '60s, when I was in High School.  I really liked it the first time I read it, and I still enjoy rereading it every year or so, it is a charming story.

The Complete Fuzzy contains all three Fuzzy novels:  Little Fuzzy, Fuzzy Sapiens, and Fuzzies and Other People.

If you have never heard of the Fuzzies your in for a real treat.  They are cute little people, that can be quit funny, they also make for very good companions.  They are around 2-3 feet tall and approximately 20 lbs according to the novels.

The Complete Fuzzy starts with Humans discovering Fuzzies, Humans have occupied the Fuzzies native planet for some years before the Fuzzies are discovered.

The Fuzzies are clearly Sapient, and there are laws in the novel's universe that limit how the planets of Sapients can be used by Humans.  This provides the primary conflict and tension in the first half or so of The Complete Fuzzy.

Since I don't want to spoil this splendid story for anyone, I will only say the rest of the story involves an adventure for some Fuzzies.

I really recommend this book to everyone.  I would say it is suitable for all readers, both male and female, from 5th grade on up.

Only caveat for younger readers, this story was written in a time when tobacco smoking and social drinking were considered the norm.  This may be a concern for parents of  younger readers.

Other than that one concern, I think this book makes an excellent gift for young readers or adults.

7th Sigma by Steven Gould

If I remember correctly, Wildside was the first book of Gould's that I read, and I have been a fan ever since.

His latest book 7th Sigma is another truly enjoyable read, I would consider it a Young Adult or coming of age book, it is more of collection of short stories about Kim and his adventures than a true novel.

I really liked it, and I am long past young adult, I think readers from middle school age on up will like this book.  Assuming they like this general type of science fiction.

I stayed up all night to finish reading it the day I discovered it online.  Thank you Kindle!  I just love how when I discover a great book I can buy it and start reading instantly. 

I think this book is somewhat similar to the Serenity/Firefly series, in the sense that they are both really westerns with a science fiction setting.

In 7th Sigma the bugs prevent any metal from being used in their territory, so people are forced to use more primitive weapons made from wood and bone.  Or really sophisticated guns made from advanced ceramics, but only the government tends to have the advanced ceramic guns.

Everyone has to travel by foot or horseback in the bug infested region, even though the book is set in the near future United States.

If you like Serenity/Firefly there is a good chance you will like this book.

You can read a free sample at Tor titled "Bugs in the Arroyo".


Some trivia, Gould is a high level practitioner of Akido, and he portrays his art very accurately in his novels.

Though he has a rather fanciful perspective about unarmed martial artist vs armed opponents.  [I mention this because I review non fiction martial arts books on this blog.  You can learn a lot about Akido from Gould's books, but don't believe that even a skilled martial artist has much of a chance vs even a moderately trained armed opponent.]

If you would like even more good fiction with a lot of real Aikido, try Gould's novel Helm.

Check the right side of my Blog for link to Gould's blog.

Redliners by David Drake

Redliners is my favorite David Drake novel, though I don't recommend it for everyone.  If you lack the proper background or perspective, you will not understand, or worse misunderstand the central theme of this exceptional novel.

I unreservedly recommend it to Combat Vets, EMT's, LEO, ER Doctors & Nurses, Firefighters, & others that have had to deal with trauma, death, and sacrifice.  If you have a friend, family member, or other loved one that fits the above list, then you might gain some insight into parts of their lives they can't share with you, or don't want to burden you with.

It follows a group of battle weary vetrans that are so burned out & emotionally traumatized that they have lost their effectiveness as a military unit.  They have been "redlined", they are to traumatived by their time in war to be truly combat effective anymore.

Yet they are far to dangerous to simply allow back among civilians, without more pain and suffering for both the vets and the civilians.  The Chief of Administration, the top civilian leader in this novel, he is referred to as "John Smith", also feels they deserve better than to be treated as disposable, no longer useful, assets.

Lead personally by John Smith, someone who understands sacrifice all to well, on a  perilous expedition to colonize a completely wild and dangerous planet.  Mr. Smith is attempting to reintegrate these veterans and civilians.  He wants the civilians to appreciate the veterans, and the sacrifices they have made. in addition to reintegrating the veterans with society.

Mr. Smith fully realizes this expedition will probably cost some lives, perhaps even his own, but he doesn't flinch from his decision.

Despite the all the dark and horrible events in this novel, it is truly a story about hope.  About hope, atonement, and possibly redemption.