Yes, this is an old classic, so the science is a bit dated as are the views, actions and behaviour of the characters. But this is still fun to read. It is a bit slow and over-burdened in places with descriptions of everything, from Florida to the Moon, but the dialogue is also sometimes fun and quirky. This is a slightly comical book as Verne pokes fun at the American ideal of enterprise and offsets it with the more stuffy response from Britain and Europe. You can understand why Steampunk and the Victorian age appeal so strongly when you read classics of the time like this. They have such potential. Engaging!

I read this book because I have always liked the idea of monsters, be they dinosaurs or other science fiction creatures, roaming the earth in some distant land or dark urban environment. I guess I have always been hooked on those black and white creature features and B movies. I also love The Lost World (Arthur Conan Doyle) and have read it several times. This story seemed to fit right in that general mix and so I bought the Kindle version. I enjoyed this book even though I understand the low star reviews it got on Amazon. The author is a Creationist and so there are elements in the book that can put you off if you find that stance to be disagreeable. Being English the argument about God and evolution doesn't bother me. So although I just brushed by these elements in the book, others might not be able to, hence the three stars. Having said that the resolution of the book is fine and doesn't really harp on about that at all. I found that the search for the unidentified animal led by Jim Thompson, the Game Warden, to be far more realistic and enjoyable than that of the academic team, where violence ensued at the end and it seemed a bit rushed. Another star dropped there. One thing that was pleasing about this book was that the dinosaurs were non-aggresive in that they were not the usual carniverous types chomping their way through the cannon-fodder characters. It was they who were more in danger from the humans, and isn't that the truth for most animals these days? So the show more story in general was soft, low key and quite pleasing. Three stars I think is fair. show less

I read this book a long time ago. It wasn't this edition, but I remember the cover featuring a much more exotic spaceship and background. I loved the alien world setting and the title. And I loved the idea how the crew with all their skill and technology were totally unprepared for the world they so unwittingly walked on. The alien world and the culture of the people living there are fully described in both their beauty and brutality. And the central idea of the main character, the only survivor from the spaceship, becoming assimilated into the society he finds there is also beautifully done, so that you fully accept his reasons for staying and fulfilling his role at the end.I have read a large number of this author's books, and many, like The Cloud Walker, The Last Continent, and particularly 5 to 12 and Who Needs Men, affected my own writing. I would recommend this author and this book to anyone.

This is the first non fiction book I have read for pleasure in a very long time. I am interested in history and politics, and due to my mother being born in Cairo I am particularly interested in the Middle East. As a Christian I am also interested in Islam as I was not taught other religions at school. So, enough about me, what about the book? I thought it was excellent, mainly because it was written like a thesis with plenty of references that you could look up if you chose to. The book is essentially a history of Islam from the beginning to the present day. It is also about the effect of Islam on the Middle East and how the religion has been used by many for political reasons. This misuse is not just something that happened recently, and the author explains that the many complicated problems in the region stem from the imperialist dream of an Islamic state that originated in biblical times and still persist today. Unfortunately, the Arabs and the Arabic nations that were supposed to embrace this religious state only saw themselves as individual nations and not as an Arabic "whole," and so the dream was never fulfilled. My description here is very basic while the book covers each step in great detail as history is revealed over the generations step by step.I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was sad when it came to an end. It is a very good source of historical data about the history and the politics of the region, and their effects on the Western World. It also reveals show more that it is often the Middle Eastern states themselves that dictate the future of the region and not the great powers such as the USA, UK or Russia, who often get the blame. Don't get me wrong, there are no saints here, but there are villains.Although some may suggest that the author is slightly biased in his views, I believe that he has done a fair job in presenting both the Jewish and Islamic viewpoints. This is a very good book and very worth reading. show less

I loved the mixture of Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller and RPG in this book. In fact I liked this book so much I find it dificult to determine whether I liked the character in the book, or the RPG character they played in the book! Of course, me being me, it is the female characters I latch onto. And there is nothing quite as exciting as a female Slayer. But as I said, that's me. Dream Park has everything you expect it to have as a traditional Fantasy and RPG, but with extras thrown in. And although this is one ocasion where death doesn't mean death in real terms for the characters, don't let that apparent element of reality fool you. Someone is playing a RPG character for real, and when this person slays you, you really are dead.

What I like about this book is the attempt to bring magic fantasy into science fiction. Or is it the other way around? Here Niven gives us a typical fantasy story and setting but with a twist: Magic is a real form of energy, and like fossil fuels it isn't exhaustible. So the story is in the dying age, where everything mythical and magical is crumbling as the energy that gives them life and form dribbles away. The reason: A weapon of mass destruction, a device that wastes energy at a tremendous pace, so sucking the power from any mage or beast. Sound familiar? I enjoyed this book and I think the idea works. What is a werewolf to do?

This is my most favorite character. Killashandra starts as a failed opera singer and then meets an exciting man with a strange power and an even stranger, and very dangerous, habit. Becoming a crystal singer able to mine the valuable crystal using her enhanced singing voice to cut it at the facets like a diamond cutter is a simple but brilliant science fiction concept. Loved her character, loved the training she underwent and the people she met, loved the way she grew into a profficient miner of black crystal, and loved her development in the sequels. Got them all. I want her babies.

I picked up Island Seed because of the setting and premise of scientists isolated on a desert island attempting to rebuild the ecology there. That and the fact that it was written from the point of view of a leading female character got me hooked. I know I am a sucker for books with leading female characters, but what can I say?Sara is the island director and responsible for everything and everyone, even though the military personnel on the base would like to think that didn’t apply to them. But Sara’s main problem, apart from her very strong physical attraction to Kenny, one of the scientists on the island, is that strange things are happening. And those strange things are very strange indeed. Objects seem to move of their own volition, the weather seems all wrong and even Sara and the other people on the island begin to feel sort of different. This also adds some doubt to both Sara and Kenny’s feelings towards one another as their love affair develops, but although Kenny is not really sure if their feelings are genuine or not, Sara has no doubt. But none of this can be resolved until the unknown cause of all this strangeness is revealed.This story has an X-Files/Twilight Zone mystery feel to it that is very engaging. It is also laced with sexy scenes as the relationship between Sara and Kenny unfolds. And with an array of assorted characters to populate the island this results in an interesting and thought provoking read.Nice one.

Diamond Sand is a story that mixes science-fiction with large amounts of romance, mystery and thriller elements. This is all good as there is something here for everyone. The science-fiction elements provide the setting which is the human colonised world of Diamond in the far future. The rich mineral resources of Diamond are highly prized and commercial and political parties off planet consistently lobby and interfere with the local political establishment in order to promote their interests. This has caused one notable leader on Diamond to break away from the government, and when sabotage and other terrorist attacks on the lucrative sand mines begin it is this rogue politician who is implicated.Enter Pia Senda, an undercover agent working for the Unified Planetary Government. The UPG wants to ensure that their interests on Diamond are not derailed by the terrorist attacks, so Pia is tasked with the job of bringing this rogue politician and activist to book. Posing as a new recruit for the mining security organisation, Pia journeys to Diamond and begins her training. She also begins snooping around for information on the attacks and those responsible. And it isn’t long before she begins to get wind of a possible political conspiracy that could even undermine her own beliefs. But Pia’s problems are doubled when she finds herself heavily attracted to her security boss, Tan Oynx. And it doesn’t help matters when she realises that he is also deeply attracted to her. The show more result is a very sexy romance told in a very realistic and graphic style.In fact I found the realism and style of the book to be part of its appeal. The story is told from Pia’s point of view, which is often best with a mystery or thriller where you never know who anyone truly is or what their true motives are. And like Pia, we only find out when she does. Pia often questions her own motives as well as those of others, she is also not perfect, making mistakes and acting rashly. This adds to the realism and gives the story an edge because you are never sure when things might go wrong or something bad might happen. It also means you worry about the characters, both primary and secondary, as the events unfold.I like stories that feature a strong leading female character, but I don’t want her to be so perfect that she can beat everyone and save the planet without breaking a nail. This goes just as equally for male characters, hence my reference to realism. The characters here are flawed, like real people, and they carry baggage like real people. Their past experiences dictate and influence their actions and decisions. And sometimes what they think they know isn’t actually what they think it is. This is a well written book with no editing issues that I could find in the copy I purchased and downloaded. It is also a well crafted story set on a far off world that has great potential for further exploration, as do the characters and their back story. So I look forward to reading further episodes in the future.Recommended. show less

I finally got around to reading this book and I am very glad that I did. And I have to say right at the outset that I enjoyed all the short stories that it contains. These stories are speculative fiction in that they are a mixture of fantasy and science-fiction with generous helpings of the unusual. And I mean unusual. There is time travel here, some comedy, even an end of the world story. But I won't tell you which is which, I will let you discover that.Sex often features in many of these stories, some of it graphic. There is also some violence and suspense. But there is nothing here too extreme. All the stories are good and thought provoking. And when I say good, I mean very good. All the characters in these stories are also well described and have depth, despite the short length. There is nothing two dimensional here. In fact I would have been very interested to see many of these characters feature in their own full length novels. And I already know which ones I would buy if they were available.So which story sits above the rest? Well, as I said, I liked and enjoyed them all. But if I have to identify my particular favourites among the stories then these would be The Order of Things, Every Thing He Touches, Seashard, The Light in That Night and Trapped. And my Bestest favourite of all? Well, that has to be the one with the little winged aliens, but that is just me...I can recommend this book to everyone as an introduction to a very thought provoking author who should show more be writing a lot more. Buy it, download it, borrow it, read it. show less

I loved the film. Saw it when it came out at the cinema. Everything about this film was just perfect, from the adventurous job of catching animals in Africa for supplying to zoos around the world, the people doing the catching, the integration of the Americans, Europeans and Africans, and the actors and actresses portraying them all. And of course the live scenes with the animals speak for themselves. It was all just too marvellous. Of course the world depicted here no longer exists, if it once ever did.This book of the film by the original writer of the screenplay goes a lot deeper into the characters and their relationships than the film portrays. It gives them all a slightly harder edge than the romantic comedy version of the film. Of particular note is the more sexual side to the love triangle between Brandy and Kurt, Pockets and Chips. There is more tension here and it is less comedic. But the light-hearted moments are still present. A good book of a good film.A footnote is that Hardy Kruger bought and lived for some time on the farm where the movie was filmed. You can now go there on holiday as it is a hotel. Just look up Hatari Lodge.

I have read a number of books by this author now, mainly because, like many readers, once I find a book I like I tend to read more of the books by that author in the belief that I will also enjoy them. So far this author hasn’t disappointed me in that belief.“A Nickel For Your Cosmic Thoughts” is at first glance a standard science-fiction story about a spaceship called The Harbinger and the interactions between her captain and crew as they face adversity. Due to its shape, the ship is often referred to as The Pineapple by those on board, and the relationships between the characters do feature in a realistic manner. But that is where the standard fare ends.Following damage sustained in a local nebula the ship is forced to land on a planet called Cerus. Cerus is an isolated and colonised planet that is not often visited, which is strange as its population also has a reputation for being very laid back and friendly. However, Denise, the Captain of The Harbinger, soon begins to realise that all is not what it seems on Cerus. The people are friendly enough, but they all seem slightly off in some way. It begins merely as an uncomfortable feeling that is attributed to the storms on the planet and the chemical effects of the atmosphere, all due to the close proximity of the nebula. But as Captain Denise and some of her crew venture forth to find help and supplies for their repairs, that feeling grows and grows. I have said before in a review for another book by this author show more that the story has a Twilight Zone feel to it. It’s the same here; the only thing that is missing is the voice-over introduction at the beginning. But the science-fiction setting would make it equally suitable as an episode of The Outer Limits. Unusual things happen, not all of which are explained. And so the author asks more questions than she answers. But that —along with well defined, conflicting and somewhat flawed characters, all attributes that make them eminently realistic— is what makes good speculative science-fiction.Recommended as usual. Buy it, I did. show less