Book mentions in this thread

  • Votes: 22

    New Tokyo

    by Marc Foxx

    Edited by Axel Heil and Wolfgang Schoppmann. Essay by Jean-Christophe Ammann.
  • Votes: 11

    The Auctioneer

    by J.S. Frankel

  • Votes: 8

    Around the Dark Dial

    by J.D. Sanderson

  • Votes: 7

    Flowers for Algernon

    by Daniel Keyes

    The Heinemann Plays series offers contemporary drama and classic plays in durable classroom editions. Many have large casts and an equal mix of boy and girl parts. This play is a dramatization of Daniel Keyes's story about a retarded adult who desperately wants to be able to read and write.
  • Votes: 5

    A Piece of Heaven

    by G.S. Anthony

    Songs of Innocence and of Experience is an collection of poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases. A few first copies were printed and illuminated by William Blake himself in 1789; five years later he bound these poems with a set of new poems in a volume titled Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. William Blake was also a painter before the songs of innocence and experience and made paintings such as Oberon, Titania, and Puck dancing with fairies. "Innocence" and "Experience" are definitions of consciousness that rethink Milton's existential-mythic states of "Paradise" and "Fall". Often, interpretations of this collection centre around a mythical dualism, where "Innocence" represents the "unfallen world" and "Experience" represents the "fallen world". Blake categorizes our modes of perception that tend to coordinate with a chronology that would become standard in Romanticism: childhood is a state of protected innocence rather than original sin, but not immune to the fallen world and its institutions. This world sometimes impinges on childhood itself, and in any event becomes known through "experience", a state of being marked by the loss of childhood vitality, by fear and inhibition, by social and political corruption, and by the manifold oppression of Church, State, and the ruling classes. The volume's "Contrary States" are sometimes signalled by patently repeated or contrasted titles: in Innocence, Infant Joy, in Experience, Infant Sorrow; in Innocence, The Lamb, in Experience, The Fly and The Tyger. The stark simplicity of poems such as The Chimney Sweeper and The Little Black Boy display Blake's acute sensibility to the realities of poverty and exploitation that accompanied the "Dark Satanic Mills" of the Industrial Revolution.
  • Votes: 5

    Road to Juneau

    by Liam Quane

  • Votes: 4

    "All You Zombies-"

    by Robert A. Heinlein

    Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Commentary (stories not included). Pages: 30. Chapters: -All You Zombies-, By His Bootstraps, -We Also Walk Dogs, The Roads Must Roll, The Man Who Sold the Moon, If This Goes On-, The Long Watch, It's Great to Be Back!, Blowups Happen, Requiem, The Black Pits of Luna, Logic of Empire, Delilah and the Space Rigger, Misfit, The Menace from Earth, Coventry, Gentlemen, Be Seated!, Life-Line, The Green Hills of Earth, Ordeal in Space, Searchlight, -And He Built a Crooked House, Our Fair City, Waldo, Magic, Inc., Future History, Solution Unsatisfactory, The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag, The Year of the Jackpot, Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon, Gulf, The Man Who Traveled in Elephants, Lost Legacy, They, Goldfish Bowl, Jerry Was a Man, Poor Daddy, A Bathroom of Her Own, Let There Be Light, Space Jockey, Elsewhen, Project Nightmare, Free Men, Water Is for Washing, Tenderfoot in Space, Columbus Was a Dope, Sky Lift, Destination Moon. Excerpt: Waldo (1942) is a short story by Robert A. Heinlein originally published in Astounding Magazine in August 1942 under the pseudonym Anson MacDonald. It is available in the book Waldo & Magic, Inc., as well as other collections. This story is not related to the story "Magic, Inc." other than both stories being about magic in one form or another. The essence of the story is the journey of a mechanical genius from his self-imposed exile from the rest of humanity to a more normal life, conquering the disease myasthenia gravis as well as his own contempt for humans in general. The key to this is that magic is loose in the world, but in a logical and scientific way. Waldo Farthingwaite-Jones was born a weakling, unable even to lift his head up to drink or to hold a spoon. Far from destroying him, this channeled his intellect, and his family's money, into the development of the device patented...
  • Votes: 4

    A Footstep Echo

    by J.D. Sanderson

    Who is the Mystery Girl? Bernard Abbey's life was routine, stagnant, and lonely. That all changed the day she entered his life. To save him from being killed, a mysterious young woman transports Bernard to another point in time. As he comes to grips with what has happened, Bernard realizes his new friend is unable to speak. She cannot tell him who she is, where she came from, or how she can travel through time. Even worse, she's unable to tell him what is chasing her. As the mystery girl takes Bernard across, they cross paths with strangers claiming to know her. Grappling with conflicting versions of her origin, the only thing he knows for certain is that the fate of humanity's idyllic future is somehow connected with his new companion. "Sanderson blew my temporally-frazzled mind multiple times as the battle ranged from past to present ... and even in-between." - William F. Aicher - Author of 'The Unfortunate Expiration of Mr. David S. Sparks' "I especially liked the story arc and development of the main character, Bernard, whose life has been at something of a standstill since the death of his wife. That all changes when a mysterious young woman comes into his life and Bernard finds himself in the midst of adventures he never imagined he would have." - GSMC Book Review Podcast
  • Votes: 4

    Citizen of the Galaxy (Heinlein's Juveniles Book 11)

    by Robert A. Heinlein

    A youth who has known only the primitive life of a galaxy slave is purchased by a beggar who turns out to be a man with many extracurricular activities.
  • Votes: 4

    Complete Darkness

    by Matt Adcock

    In the near future, we map the elusive 'dark matter' around us, only to find out that it is hell itself... As the satanic President Razour attempts to bring forward Armageddon to prevent humanity repenting, the fate of us all rests in the hands of Cleric20, a hedonistic loner with a chequered past, and his robot sidekick, GiX.
  • Votes: 4

    Starship Troopers

    by Robert Anson Heinlein

  • Votes: 4

    The Arcturian Confederation (2 Book Series)

    by R Billing

    Of the Advancement and Proficience of Learning - The partitions of sciences, nine books is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1674. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.
  • Votes: 4

    The Crimson Feather (Generation 2084)

    by Joseph Sprenger

    This is an authoritative presentation and discussion of the most basic thematic elements universally found in folklore and literature. The reference provides a detailed analysis of the most common archetypes or motifs found in the folklore of selected communities around the world. Each entry is written by a noted authority in the field, and includes accompanying reference citations. Entries are keyed to the Motif-Index of Folk Literature by Stith Thompson and grouped according to that Index's scheme. The reference also includes an introductory essay on the concepts of archetypes and motifs and the scholarship associated with them. This is the only book in English on motifs and themes that is completely folklore oriented, deals with motif numbers, and is tied to the Thompson Motif-Index. It includes in-depth examination of such motifs as: Bewitching; Chance and Fate; Choice of Roads; Death or Departure of the Gods; the Double; Ghosts and Other Revenants; the Hero Cycle; Journey to the Otherworld; Magic Invulnerability; Soothsayer; Transformation; Tricksters.
  • Votes: 4

    The Murderbot Diaries

    by Martha Wells

  • Votes: 4

    Visions of Iotan

    by Jaimie N. Schock

  • Votes: 4

    Without Flaws

    by Diane Asther

    Feminist Political Ecology explores the gendered relations of ecologies, economies and politics in communities as diverse as the rubbertappers in the rainforests of Brazil to activist groups fighting racism in New York City. Women are often at the centre of these struggles, struggles which concern local knowledge, everyday practice, rights to resources, sustainable development, environmental quality, and social justice. The book bridges the gap between the academic and rural orientation of political ecology and the largely activist and urban focus of environmental justice movements.
  • Votes: 4

    Zombie Fiction for Women

    by Aline Riva

    Ghouls, ghosts, and macabre terrors stalk the night in this spine-tingling collection. With tales describing unnatural frights and haunting visions of cosmic terror, you will be taken on a journey into the disturbing imaginations of some of horror's greatest writers. The stories' heroes face incredible creatures, unknowable gods, and supernatural beings who have no regard for human life. Horror literature has its roots in the mists of time. In the 19th century, writers delved into ancient folk tales and local legends to inspire an entire genre. In the 20th century, the next generation of writers brought to life a brand new array of terrifying monsters. The authors in this volume range from Victorian pioneers, such as Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe, to the pulp writers of the 20th century, such as William Hope Hodgson and H. P. Lovecraft. The tradition of horror writing that developed took very different turns on either side of the Atlantic - while American authors turned to unknowable horrors and cosmic terrors, British writers such as E. F. Benson and M. R. James mastered a more familiar form, the classic ghost story. It was not only English-speakers who sought to terrify their readers. The French writer Guy de Maupassant, a prolific short story writer and pupil of the acclaimed novelist Gustave Flaubert, found ways to make his protagonists doubt their own sanity as they faced terrors that would drive any ordinary man mad. This collection of bone-chilling tales comes from the pens of some of horror's most acclaimed writers. Authors include: E. F. Benson Ambrose Bierce Francis Marion Crawford W. W. Jacobs M. R. James William Hope Hodgson H. P. Lovecraft Guy de Maupassant Edgar Allan Poe Bram Stoker
  • Votes: 3

    The Yellow Wallpaper

    by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

    'The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing.' Written with barely controlled fury after she was confined to her room for 'nerves' and forbidden to write, Gilman's pioneering feminist horror story scandalized nineteenth-century readers with its portrayal of a woman who loses her mind because she has literally nothing to do. Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions. Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935). Gilman's work is available in Penguin Classics in The Yellow Wall-Paper, Herland and Selected Writings.
  • Votes: 3

    Ancillary Justice

    by Ann Leckie

    Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, British Science Fiction, Locus and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance. In the Ancillary world: 1. Ancillary Justice2. Ancillary Sword3. Ancillary Mercy
  • Votes: 3

    Emergency Exits

    by David Rogers

    Emergency Exits carries messages from a strange country--stories about people who live on the fringes--at the limits of sanity, the sharp edges of society, the borderlands between the real and the fantastic. Characters with nothing left to lose, or everything to gain. Ones who know things no one else can believe or understand. People who always need to know where the to find the exits. Characters from a universe where no one understands what's happening or why, what came before the Big Bang or how the universe ends. People who have secrets they cannot tell, and no one would believe if they did.
  • Votes: 3

    She Fell From Earth (Outpost Earth)

    by Laurance Davis

  • Votes: 3

    Sirkkusaga

    by Kyt Wright

    A saga - a long story of heroic achievement, especially a medieval prose narrative in Old Norse or a long, involved story, account, or series of incidents often named for the principal character. Several hundred years after an world-shattering war, two of the surviving nations, the Reignweald and the Dominion have fought themselves to a standstill, both remaining determined to control of what's left of it. Sirki Vigsdottir, a songstress who performs under the name Freya in folk-rock group The Harvest is beautiful, self-centered woman who is fond of drink and a recovering addict to boot, not the sort of girl a boy brings home to mother. Following an attack from an unexpected quarter, abilities awaken within Sirki, who begins a journey of self-discovery. These new found skills attract the attention of both the Psi, a mysterious group of telepaths headed by the fearsome Mina and an equally sinister government department; the ACG. Sirki, learning the real truth of her origin, is dragged into plotting between the queen and the Government, finding herself in constant danger as Bren, fighting for the nation, becomes an important part of her life. As it becomes clear that her life of self-indulgence is over, Sirki wonders if her new-found powers are a blessing or a curse.
  • Votes: 3

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    by Douglas Adams

  • Votes: 3

    The Missouri Man

    by Mr. Rodger Washington

    Reviews the circumstances surrounding the Challenger accident to establish the probable cause or causes of the accident. Develops recommendations for corrective or other action based upon the Commission1s findings and determinations. Color photos, charts and tables.
  • Votes: 3

    The Science Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe (Penguin English Library)

    by Edgar Allan Poe

    One of the greatest of all horror writers, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) also composed pioneering tales that seized upon the scientific developments of an era marked by staggering change. In this collection of sixteen stories, he explores such wide-ranging contemporary themes as galvanism, time travel and resurrection of the dead. 'The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfall' relates a man's balloon journey to the moon with a combination of scientific precision and astonishing fantasy. Elsewhere, the boundaries between horror and science are elegantly blurred in stories such as 'The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar', while the great essay 'Eureka' outlines Poe's own interpretation of the universe. Powerfully influential on later authors including Jules Verne, these works are essential reading for anyone wishing to trace the genealogy of science fiction, or to understand the complexity of Poe's own creative vision
  • Votes: 3

    The Visionary

    by J.C. Gemmell

    At the beginning of February 2060, Mount Erebus erupted, the first of a chain of Antarctic volcanoes that forever changed Earth’s future. Within days, sea levels began to rise, until sixty metres of water claimed coastlines worldwide. Twelve-year-old Xin-yi and her mother fled their home, surviving amongst a community of rice farmers. A year later, a chance conversation with international census officials prepared her for a new life. Now fourteen, Xin-yi commences her training as a visionary. It is her task to imagine a new Earth, rising above the drowning waters. Thousands of young people strive to design a world in which the displaced millions can live, and engineer a solution that will take a millennium to populate. But Xin-yi’s challenges are more personal: coming to terms with the loss of her brother and unexpected feelings toward a friend. She has to choose between working to benefit humanity and her internal conflict with love. Set over three decades after the 2060 flood, The Visionary combines dystopian, future and science fiction, and introduces J.C. Gemmell’s Tion series.
  • Votes: 3

    To Be Taught, If Fortunate

    by Becky Chambers

  • Votes: 3

    XENURE STATION

    by Maria P Frino

    Two sisters, Amelia and Simona Lillostra, share a secret. One so distressing to them it is never to be revealed. What they didn't count on is a young Russian man entering their lives, a man related to Amelia's Russian lover from WWII. When TV anchor, Larissa Mina meets Alexey Dubrovsky at an awards night, neither has any idea there is a secret in both their pasts. What is this dark family secret and why were two loving sisters torn apart? Buy this edition of this novel or the edition with the white cover (as shown above) and I will donate 50% of my book sales to The Alannah & Madeline Foundation. Help me to assist this worthy Foundation, they help abused children.
  • Votes: 2

    A CALM STORM

    by MJF JEESHAN

    Radical Prostatectomy: Surgical Perspectives provides surgeons with a comprehensive overview of the anatomical approach to radical prostatectomy, whether done through an open (retropubic) or robotic-assisted laparoscopic approach. All chapters are structured to provide a step-by-step approach to the most technically demanding and most common oncologic procedure in urology surgery. The book includes highly practical presentations of typical surgical patients seen in the clinical practice of urology and relies heavily on illustrations and intraoperative photographs to clearly complement the text. In addition, the book includes a detailed description of the management of uncommon but potentially serious intraoperative complications, including major vascular injury, ureteral transaction, and rectotomy. Written by authors from a variety of integrated disciplines, including anesthesia, cardiology, and nursing Radical Prostatectomy: Surgical Perspectives is a unique and valuable resource in the field of urology both for those currently in training and for those already in surgical practices.
  • Votes: 2

    All Systems Red

    by Martha Wells

    Now available in hardcover, All Systems Red is the first entry in Martha Wells' New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Alex and Nebula Award-winning science fiction series, The Murderbot Diaries. "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure." In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid—a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth. The Murderbot Diaries #1 All Systems Red #2 Artificial Condition #3 Rogue Protocol #4 Exit Strategy
  • Votes: 2

    Fall of Titan (Realm Book 1)

    by H.G. Ahedi

    In the twenty-fourth century, a sophisticated security system called the perimeter guards the outer rim of the solar system. Governed by Titan, a powerful space station, the perimeter is almost impenetrable. Emmeline Augury, an astrophysics cadet on Titan, believes in a family folklore about a mythical device with unlimited power. Recognizing its scientific and military value, she uses unorthodox methods to follow a trail of cleverly concealed clues. Her search uncovers an ancient plaque, which reveals a star map of a secret network of portals leading to the device, the key that opens the doors to the seven realms. Suddenly, the key to absolute power is in her grasp, and everyone wants a piece of it, especially the power-hungry Orias queen. What began as a scientific adventure turns into a dangerous manhunt when an Orias fleet attacks Titan. The queen threatens to slaughter everyone unless she is given the device. When the fate of Titan and the seven realms hangs in the balance, Emmeline must make a choice. Will she save her home or the device? Realm: The Fall of Titan is a Sci-fi Fantasy and the first novel in this book series.
  • Votes: 2

    Frankenstein (Signet Classics)

    by Mary Shelley

  • Votes: 2

    The Book of Miriam

    by Louis Zambrana

    The concept of resistance has always been central to the reception of Hegel's philosophy. The prevalent image of Hegel's system, which continues to influence the scholarship to this day, is that of an absolutist, monist metaphysics which overcomes all resistance, sublating or assimilating all differences into a single organic 'Whole'. For that reason, the reception of Hegel has always been marked by the question of how to resist Hegel: how to think that which remains outside of or other to the totalizing system of dialectics. In recent years the work of scholars such as Catherine Malabou, Slavoj Žižek, Rebecca Comay and Frank Ruda has brought considerable nuance to this debate. A new reading of Hegel has emerged which challenges the idea that there is no place for difference, otherness or resistance in Hegel, both by refusing to reduce Hegel's complex philosophy to a straightforward systematic narrative and by highlighting particular moments within Hegel's philosophy which seem to counteract the traditional understanding of dialectics. This book brings together established and new voices in this field in order to show that the notion of resistance is central to this revaluation of Hegel.
  • Votes: 2

    The Tattler

    by Chad Descoteaux

  • Votes: 2

    The Wraith

    by Robert M Leonard

    The Wraith is a violent, merciless, unstoppable costumed vigilante, known around the world for the bloody, often terminal, manner in which he punishes crime. Zeke Whitaker is a WW2/Korean war combat vet, who was declared MIA/KIA more than sixty years ago. Chris Alexander is an arrogant, extremely self-assured inventor and industrialist who is often considered the "smartest man in the world.These three completely disparate men share two things in common. First, all three have an invaluable and unique roll to play in saving Planet Earth from an impending disaster only they can foresee coming. And they also share the same artificial body.
  • Votes: 2

    This Is How You Lose the Time War

    by Amal El-Mohtar

    “[An] exquisitely crafted tale...Part epistolary romance, part mind-blowing science fiction adventure, this dazzling story unfolds bit by bit, revealing layers of meaning as it plays with cause and effect, wildly imaginative technologies, and increasingly intricate wordplay...This short novel warrants multiple readings to fully unlock its complexities.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review). From award-winning authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone comes an enthralling, romantic novel spanning time and space about two time-traveling rivals who fall in love and must change the past to ensure their future. Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right? Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.
  • Votes: 1

    ARIYA KAI THE SECRET OF COLONY L.I.F.E.

    by F. Z. ZACH

  • Votes: 1

    The View from Ganymede (Space Camp Book 1)

    by E. M. Leander

    From the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower After the near-extinction of humanity, one young man with extraordinary gifts will either help the human race rebuild its future . . . or doom it to self-destruction. In the future, nuclear war has destroyed nearly all humankind. An alien race intervenes, saving the small group of survivors from certain death. But their salvation comes at a cost. The Oankali are able to read and mutate genetic code, and they use these skills for their own survival, interbreeding with new species to constantly adapt and evolve. They value the intelligence they see in humankind but also know that the species -- rigidly bound to destructive social hierarchies -- is destined for failure. They are determined that the only way forward is for the two races to produce a new hybrid species -- and they will not tolerate rebellion. Akin looks like an ordinary human child. But as the first true human-alien hybrid, he is born understanding language, then starts to form sentences at two months old. He can see at a molecular level and kill with a touch. More powerful than any human or Oankali, he will be the architect of both races' future. But before he can carry this new species into the stars, Akin must reconcile with his own heritage in a world already torn in two.
  • Votes: 1

    Where the Wolf Dwells

    by Jeffrey LeBlanc

    Every year, the World Bank’s World Development Report (WDR) features a topic of central importance to global development. The 2018 WDR—LEARNING to Realize Education’s Promise—is the first ever devoted entirely to education. And the time is right: education has long been critical to human welfare, but it is even more so in a time of rapid economic and social change. The best way to equip children and youth for the future is to make their learning the center of all efforts to promote education. The 2018 WDR explores four main themes: First, education’s promise: education is a powerful instrument for eradicating poverty and promoting shared prosperity, but fulfilling its potential requires better policies—both within and outside the education system. Second, the need to shine a light on learning: despite gains in access to education, recent learning assessments reveal that many young people around the world, especially those who are poor or marginalized, are leaving school unequipped with even the foundational skills they need for life. At the same time, internationally comparable learning assessments show that skills in many middle-income countries lag far behind what those countries aspire to. And too often these shortcomings are hidden—so as a first step to tackling this learning crisis, it is essential to shine a light on it by assessing student learning better. Third, how to make schools work for all learners: research on areas such as brain science, pedagogical innovations, and school management has identified interventions that promote learning by ensuring that learners are prepared, teachers are both skilled and motivated, and other inputs support the teacher-learner relationship. Fourth, how to make systems work for learning: achieving learning throughout an education system requires more than just scaling up effective interventions. Countries must also overcome technical and political barriers by deploying salient metrics for mobilizing actors and tracking progress, building coalitions for learning, and taking an adaptive approach to reform.