The Book Plank

Best Books of 2014 So it has finally come down to the list of lists. The Best Books of 2014. I read many different kind of books this year, all my friends and family said I read way to much... and I always reply with: there is always more to read! It was really hard to make this final list, in many different subgenre I read some ace books. After a lot of contemplation I have made this final list.  Just as last year where Emperor of Thorns made the list as well, Mark Lawrence once again made it on my yearly favorites list. Prince of Fools , the first book in The Red Queen's War was released this summer and with this book Mark Lawrence proofs that he is far from a one time success with his The Broken Empire series. Prince of Fools takes place within the same universe of his first series but focuses on a completely different protagonist Jalan. The Broken Empire gave the gritty grimdark setting and a dark protagonist, in Prince of Fools, Mark Lawrence shows the story is a ...

Best Science Fiction The future is closer than you think. Are there boundaries? Where is our world going too? Will there be a technology rush or will we succumb to our own inventions, will robots or AI take over for good? These are some of the aspects that are discussed in Science Fiction, but of course with every subgenre there is always more. What I like most about Science Fiction are the daring stories, stories that closely resemble our own reality and where authors have introduced several scenarios of possible futures. When author take examples of our current technology and translate them into possible happenings I think that the whole setting comes even more to justice as I then I always think the question just what if? David Ramirez's The Forever Watch is a very interesting start, imagine a ship that seeks new planet to live on. In the depths of this spaceship much more is going on than what meets the normal unsuspected eye. Its a powerful and evocative story with a hauntin...

Review Round-up October Another month has passed, time for another Review Round-Up. These were some of the titles that I enjoyed very much. Which were your favorites? Cheers, Jasper ------------------------------------- 1. A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, Star Wars Rebels #1 A New Dawn is a great kick off for the animated Star Wars: Rebels series that will readily get you in the mood for watching the show. But if the notification of this new series has escaped your attention you can also read this book as a stand alone, and there it also offers an action packed story. You do not need to have read any books prior to this series, so it also offers a nice stepping stone for those who are just starting in the Star Wars Extended Universe books. Since I hadn't saw the show yet prior to picking up A New Dawn everything was new for me, the characters and the setting. I have to say that John Jackson Miller did a very nice job in showing the different characters of the...

Lock In by John Scalzi, Lock In #1 Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves “locked in”—fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people “locked in”...including the President's wife and daughter. Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, “The Agora,” in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled b...

(p)review forecast October part one Which books will you be reading in the coming weeks? Cheers,  Jasper ------------------------------ 1. Falling Sky by Rajan Khanna, Pyr Ben Gold lives in dangerous times. Two generations ago, a virulent disease turned the population of most of North America into little more than beasts called Ferals. Some of those who survived took to the air, scratching out a living on airships and dirigibles soaring over the dangerous ground. Ben has his own airship, a family heirloom, and has signed up to help a group of scientists looking for a cure. But that's not as easy as it sounds, especially with a power-hungry air city looking to raid any nearby settlements. To make matters worse, his airship, the only home he's ever known, is stolen. Ben must try to survive on the ground while trying to get his ship back. This brings him to Gastown, a city in the air recently conquered by belligerent and expansionist pirates. When events ...

SFF: Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden’s Syndrome by John Scalzi A new near-future science fiction novella by John Scalzi, one of the most popular authors in modern SF. Unlocked traces the medical history behind a virus that will sweep the globe and affect the majority of the world’s population, setting the stage for Lock In , the next major novel by John Scalzi. Last week I kicked off a new feature for the blog the SFF (Short Fiction Friday) and I mentioned that I was looking for recommedations, Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome was recommended to me by Tiemen Zwaan. As you can read from the short synopsis above, Unlocked: An Oral history of Haden's Syndrom is a prequel to John Scalzi's Lock In which will be released later in August, the 14th to be exact. With this short story John Scalzi builds up the framework for Lock In, showing just all what has transpired so far surrounding the Haden's Syndrome.  The first thing that false to note is the...