Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

With his wife dead and buried, and life nearly over at 75, John Perry takes the only logical course of action left him: he joins the army. Now better known as the Colonial Defense Force (CDF), Perry's service-of-choice has extended its reach into interstellar space to pave the way for human colonization of other planets while fending off marauding aliens. The CDF has a trick up its sleeve that makes enlistment especially enticing for seniors: the promise of restoring youth.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane austen & Seth Grahame-Smith

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

In what’s described as an “expanded edition” of Pride and Prejudice, 85 percent of the original text has been preserved but fused with “ultraviolent zombie mayhem.” For more than 50 years, we learn, England has been overrun by zombies, prompting people like the Bennets to send their daughters away to China for training in the art of deadly combat, and prompting others, like Lady Catherine de Bourgh, to employ armies of ninjas. Added to the familiar plot turns that bring Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy together is the fact that both are highly skilled killers, gleefully slaying zombies on the way to their happy ending.

Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Two friends–Earl (as in the Earl of Vampires) and Duke (as in the Duke of Werewolves)–are driving along one evening when their truck runs out of gas. They wind up at an all-night diner in Rockwood, a small desert town that has a bit of a zombie problem. They help Loretta, the diner's owner/cook, fend off the zombies that are drawn to her eatery. Impressed, she asks the two to stay on and help her take care of some other supernatural problems in the town and to learn who is raising the ghouls.

Accelerando by Charles Stross

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

This novel follows several generations of the Macx family through the rapidly transforming, Internet-enabled global economy of the early twenty-first century to the human and transhuman populated worlds of the outer solar system a half century later. The saga begins with Macx patriarch Manfred, a freelance "venture altruist," giving away patentable high-tech ideas in exchange for endless handouts while looking forward to the day when nanotech-programmed smart matter surpasses humanity in intelligence and productivity.

The Uplift War by David Brin

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Billions of years ago, an alien race known as the Progenitors began the genetically engineered techniques by which non-intelligent creatures are given intelligence by one of the higher races in the galaxy. Once "Uplifted," these creature must serve their patron race before they, in turn, can Uplift other races. Human intelligence, which developed by itself (and brought about the Uplifting of chimpanzees and dolphins), is an affront to the aliens who plan an attack, threatening a human experiment aimed at producing the next Uplift.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

On the surface, Henry and Clare Detamble are a normal couple living in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Henry works at the Newberry Library and Clare creates abstract paper art, but the cruel reality is that Henry is a prisoner of time. It sweeps him back and forth at its leisure, from the present to the past, with no regard for where he is or what he is doing. It drops him naked and vulnerable into another decade, wearing an age-appropriate face. In fact, it's not unusual for Henry to run into the other Henry and help him out of a jam.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Victor Frankenstein is a young student who learns the secret of imparting life. Armed with this secret, he constructs a creature out of parts of the corpses he manages to obtain from churchyards and dissecting rooms. Once animated, this creature longs for empathy and human contact, but finds himself shunned by all. After a series of frustrating efforts at human connection, the hapless and enraged "monstrosity" turns to evil and brings a dreadful revenge upon his creator.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Following his doctor's instructions, engaging Charlie Gordon tells his own story in semi-literate "progris riports." He wants to better himself, but with an IQ of 68 can't even beat the laboratory mouse Algernon at maze-solving. Algernon is extra-clever thanks to an experimental brain operation so far tried only on animals. Charlie eagerly volunteers as the first human subject. After frustrating delays and agonies of concentration, the effects begin to show and the reports steadily improve: "Punctuation, is? fun!" But getting smarter brings cruel shocks, as Charlie realizes that his merry "friends" at the bakery where he sweeps the floor have all along been laughing at him, never with him. The IQ rise continues, taking him steadily past the human average to genius level and beyond, until he's as intellectually alone as the old, foolish Charlie ever was--and now painfully aware of it. Then, ominously, the smart mouse Algernon begins to deteriorate...

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

This book opens with the accidental excavation of a holy artifact: a creased, brittle memo scrawled by the hand of the blessed Saint Leibowitz, that reads: "Pound pastrami, can kraut, six bagels--bring home for Emma." To the Brothers of Saint Leibowitz, this sacred shopping list penned by an obscure, 20th-century engineer is a symbol of hope from the distant past, from before the Simplification, the fiery atomic holocaust that plunged the earth into darkness and ignorance. Following a cloister of monks in their Utah abbey over some six or seven hundred years, the funny but bleak Canticle tackles the sociological and religious implications of the cyclical rise and fall of civilization, questioning whether humanity can hope for more than repeating its own history.

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

When twelve-year-old Gratuity ("Tip") Tucci is assigned to write five pages on "The True Meaning of Smekday" for the National Time Capsule contest, she's not sure where to begin. When her mom started telling everyone about the messages aliens were sending through a mole on the back of her neck? Maybe on Christmas Eve, when huge, bizarre spaceships descended on the Earth and the aliens - called Boov - abducted her mother? Or when the Boov declared Earth a colony, renamed it "Smekland" (in honor of glorious Captain Smek), and forced all Americans to relocate to Florida via rocketpod?

Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Reprieved confidence trickster Moist von Lipwig turns his attention to the Royal Mint in this Discworld adventure. It seems that the aristocratic families who run the mint are running it into the ground, and benevolent despot Lord Vetinari thinks Moist can do better. Despite his fondness for money, Moist doesn't want the job, but since he has recently become the guardian of the mint's majority shareholder (an elderly terrier) and snubbing Vetinari's offer would activate an Assassins Guild contract, he reluctantly accepts.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

For sixty years, Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a "temporary" safe haven created in Alaska in the wake of revelations of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. For sixty years they have been left alone, neglected and half-forgotten in a backwater of history. Now the District is set to revert to Alaskan control, and their dream is coming to an end: once again the tides of history threaten to sweep them up and carry them off into the unknown. But homicide detective Meyer Landsman of the District Police has enough problems without worrying about the upcoming Reversion. He and his half-Tlingit partner, Berko Shemets, can't catch a break in any of their outstanding cases and in the cheap hotel where he has washed up, someone has just committed a murder—right under Landsman's nose.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

This month the Science Fiction book club is discussing everyone's favorite short stories. Copies of the stories are available in a packet at the Reference Desk.

20,000 Leagues Under Sea by Jules Verne

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

As the story begins in 1866, a mysterious sea monster, theorized by some to be a giant narwhal, is sighted by ships of several nations. The United States government assembles an expedition in New York City to track down and destroy the menace including Professor Pierre Aronnax, a noted French marine biologist and narrator of the story; Canadian master harpoonist Ned Land and Aronnax's faithful assistant Conseil.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The first installment in Robinson's award winning trilogy is an action-packed and thoughtful tale of the exploration and settlement of Mars--riven by both personal and ideological conflicts--in the early 21st century. The official leaders of the "first hundred" (initial party of settlers) are American Frank Chalmers and Russian Maya Katarina Toitova, but subgroups break out under the informal guidance of popular favorites like the ebullient Arkady Nikoleyevich Bogdanov, who sets up a base on one of Mars's moons, and the enigmatic Hiroko, who establishes the planet's farm.

A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Vinge presents a galaxy divided into Zones--regions where different physical constraints allow very different technological and mental possibilities. Earth remains in the "Slowness" zone, where nothing can travel faster than light and minds are fairly limited. The action of the book is in the "Beyond," where translight travel and other marvels exist, and humans are one of many intelligent species. One human colony has been experimenting with ancient technology in order to find a path to the "Transcend," where intelligence and power are so great as to seem godlike. Instead they release the Blight, an evil power, from a billion-year captivity.

The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Meet James Bolivar diGriz--con man par excellence in a universe full of suckers. He's a self-styled stainless steel rat, living by his wits in the wainscoting of a ferroconcrete/stainless steel civilization, and leading a highly lucrative life of larceny in the midst of an almost crime-free society. But "Slippery Jim" slips up--or rather gets caught in a better than average rat trap set up by an interplanetary law enforcement agency: the Special Corps.

Ringworld by Larry Niven

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Two humans and two aliens, who are traveling to distant reaches of space to prevent a future catastrophe, crash on a ringworld apparently created by superior technologies. It is a world of huge dimensions, encompassing millions of miles, stronger than any planet before it. There is gravity, and with high walls and its proximity to the sun, a livable new planet that is three million times the area of the Earth can be formed.

Gunslinger by Stephen King

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Gunslinger introduces protagonist Roland as he pursues the Man in Black through bleak and tired landscapes in a world that has "moved on." Roland believes that the Man in Black knows and can be made to reveal the secrets of the Dark Tower, which is the ultimate goal of Roland's quest.

Kindred by Octavia Butler

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

This novel tells the story of Dana, an African American woman living in 1976 who is repeatedly thrown back in time to the antebellum South. She is unconsciously summoned (through means that are never explained) by her ancestor, Rufus, from the time he is a child through to adulthood. Rufus is white and from a slave-owning family. She also meets Alice, another ancestor, who is forced to become Rufus's mistress. Dana is placed in the difficult position of making certain that Rufus and Alice have a child, Hagar, who is Dana's direct ancestor (thus ensuring Dana's own survival). Dana is also forced to cope with an environment which forces her into slavery every time she enters it and each time she travels back in time, she stays longer.

Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

In the not-too-distant future, three astronauts land on what appears to be a planet just like Earth, with lush forests, a temperate climate, and breathable air. But while it appears to be a paradise, nothing is what it seems. They soon discover the terrifying truth: On this world humans are savage beasts, and apes rule as their civilized masters. In an ironic novel of nonstop action and breathless intrigue, one man struggles to unlock the secret of a terrifying civilization, all the while wondering: Will he become the savior of the human race, or the final witness to its damnation? In a shocking climax that rivals that of the original movie, Boulle delivers the answer in a masterpiece of adventure, satire, and suspense.

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

It sounds like a story you've heard before: great alien masters descend on Earth and take control of the world, ushering in a golden age that may be cleverly disguised creative slavery. But Clarke's legendary novel isn't about a human rebellion against alien overlords, but the evolution of humanity into its next stage, and the ultimate dwarfing power of the unknowable order of the cosmos. The narrative glides between different characters and different eons, occasionally with a seeming clumsiness that turns out to be purposeful plotting devices. The pay-off is sublime science-fiction poetry that shows the genre's power to transcend human drama and fly into the infinite.

Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

From "Rocket Summer" to "The Million-Year Picnic," Ray Bradbury's stories of the colonization of Mars form an eerie mesh of past and future. Written in the 1940s, the chronicles drip with nostalgic atmosphere--shady porches with tinkling pitchers of lemonade, grandfather clocks, chintz-covered sofas. But longing for this comfortable past proves dangerous in every way to Bradbury's characters--the golden-eyed Martians as well as the humans. Starting in the far-flung future of 1999, expedition after expedition leaves Earth to investigate Mars. The Martians guard their mysteries well, but they are decimated by the diseases that arrive with the rockets. Colonists appear, most with ideas no more lofty than starting a hot-dog stand, and with no respect for the culture they've displaced. Bradbury's quiet exploration of a future that looks so much like the past is sprinkled with lighter material. In "The Silent Towns," the last man on Mars hears the phone ring and ends up on a comical blind date. But in most of these stories, Bradbury holds up a mirror to humanity that reflects a shameful treatment of "the other," yielding, time after time, a harvest of loneliness and isolation. Yet the collection ends with hope for renewal, as a colonist family turns away from the demise of the Earth towards a new future on Mars. Bradbury is a master fantasist and The Martian Chronicles are an unforgettable work of art. (from Amazon.com)

Slan by A. E. Van Vogt

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Jommy Cross is a slan, a genetically bred superhuman whose race was created to aid humanity but is now despised by "normal" humans. Slans are usually shot on sight, but that doesn't stop Jommy's mother from bringing him to see the world capital of Centropolis, the seat of power for Earth's dictator, Kier Gray. But on their latest trip to Centropolis, the two slans are discovered, and Jommy's mother is killed. Jommy, only 9 years old, unwittingly becomes caught up in a plot to undermine Gray, who may be more sympathetic to slans than the public suspects. The nonstop action and root-for-the-underdog plot has made Slan a science fiction favorite.

When the World Screamed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

When Peerless Jones is contacted by the eccentric Professor Challenger, he has little idea what he is in for. Professor Challenger loves throwing conventional scientific wisdom on its ear, and he is about to do so again. It seems that he has come to the conclusion that beneath the ground we see around us, the Earth we ride through space on is actually a creature of gargantuan proportions! Ridiculous you say? Well, the good Professor has a drill in place, and he intends to prove his case!

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

First published in 1914, Edgar Rice Burroughs's romance has lost little of its force over the years--as film revivals and TV series well attest. Tarzan of the Apes is very much a product of its age: replete with bloodthirsty natives and haunted by what zoo specialists now call charismatic megafauna (great beasts snarling, roaring, and stalking, most of whom would be out of place in a real African jungle). Burroughs countervails such incorrectness, however, with some rather unattractive representations of white civilization--mutinous, murderous sailors, effete aristos, self-involved academics, and hard-hearted cowards. At Tarzan's heart rightly lies the resourceful and hunky title character, a man increasingly torn between the civil and the savage, for whom cutlery will never be less than a nightmare.

Master of the World by Jules Verne

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

A series of unexplained happenings occur across the eastern United States, caused by objects moving with such great speed that they are nearly invisible. The first-person narrator John Strock, 'Head inspector in the federal police department' in Washington, DC, travels to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to investigate and discovers that the phenomena are all being caused by Robur, (a brilliant inventor who had previously appeared in Verne's Robur the Conqueror). Robur had perfected a new invention, which he has dubbed the Terror. This is a ten-meter long vehicle, that is alternately speedboat, submarine, automobile, or aircraft. It can travel at the (then) unheard of speed of 150 miles per hour on land and at over 200 mph when flying.

The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

"Famous for the mistaken panic that ensued from Orson Welles’s 1938 radio dramatization, The War of the Worlds remains one of the most influential of all science fiction works. The night after a shooting star is seen streaking through the sky from Mars, a cylinder is discovered on Horsell Common in London. Naïve locals approach the cylinder armed just with a white flag—only to be quickly killed by an all-destroying heat ray, as terrifying tentacled invaders emerge. Soon the whole of human civilization is under threat as powerful Martians build gigantic killing machines, destroying all life in their path with black gas and burning ray. The forces of Earth, however, may prove harder to beat than they appear." (from Amazon.com)

A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder by James De Mille

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

We're starting with the turn of the century – commonly considered the time of the birth of science fiction/fantasy, as written by authors such as Jules Verne (often referred to as the Father of Science Fiction), Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Lewis Carroll. Since most of us have read Verne, your Fearless Leader has chosen an author most of you will not have read: James De Mille, a Canadian author whose work A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder was serialized in Harper’s Weekly after his death in 1880. A distopia, elements of it are echoed in books such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, and H. Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines. While it certainly isn’t an easy read, it is FASCINATING, and should generate a lot of discussion.

Black Sun Rising by C. S. Friedman

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

"For over a thousand years, the colonists of the planet Erna have struggled to gain control over a land prone to seismic instability and infused with a wild, near-sentient natural force known as 'the fae.'... As the dark side of the fae grows in strength, feeding off the nightmares and greed of the minds that are drawn to it, four individuals form an unwilling alliance to battle the source of evil..." (from Library Journal)

H. P. Lovecraft: Tales

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

"...Lovecraft (1890-1937), the most important U.S. horror writer since Edgar Allan Poe and a big influence on nearly every major figure in the genre after his day, has been honored with a volume of his own in this prestigious series." (from Publisher's Weekly)

Please note: this meeting is scheduled a week earlier than usual, due to Halloween.

Goblin Quest by Jim Hines

Wednesday, September 1, 2007

"...a series of action-filled, entertaining, and often funny adventures... will appeal to both adults and young adults. Prepare to be entertained throughout and completely satisfied with Jig's journey by the time you reach the end." (from Midwest Book Review)

Please note: this meeting is open to aspiring writers and will feature the author.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

"Following the collapse of a Galactic Empire, Hari gathered together the top scientists and scholars on a bleak planet at the very edge of the Galaxy in order to preserve the accumulated knowledge of mankind. He called his sanctuary the Foundation and designed it to withstand a dark age... But not even Hari could have predicted the intense barbarism lurking in space..." (from BarnesandNoble.com's reader's guide)

Finders Keepers by Linnea Sinclair

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

"It would have been a miracle if they survived each other's company on Trilby's slapdash starfreighter even under the best of circumstances. And these are far from the best of circumstances. For Trilby's best friend is missing and the warlike 'Sko are hunting both Trilby and Rhis. Suddenly they're in it together, for better, for worse..." (from the author's website)

Dune by Frank Herbert

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

"Complex, brilliant and prophetic, Frank Herbert's award-winning Dune chronicles captured the imaginations of millions of readers worldwide - and transformed their perception of what the future could be." (from the official website | also check out the Spark notes)