Book - Robopocalypse

Robopocalypse is written by Daniel H. Wilson, an owner of a Ph.D. in Robotics. He has written several non-fiction books also.
Much like Terminator in that a sentient computer tries to take over the world and attempts to kill humanity in the process, there are major differences.
In Robopocalypse the antagonist isn't a military creation, but a creation by a scientist attempting to create artificial life. The program escapes confinement and infiltrates the robot servants throughout the world. Using the premise of killing humanity to save it, the co-opted robots go on a mass killing spree.
The book follows a historical slant on the events, using records obtained from the antagonist and transcribed by one of the soldiers who is there at the end battle between the humans and Archos, the computer antagonist.
I wasn't sure at first about this book, but really did enjoy it. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, and if you are expecting a Terminator retake, you will be mistaken, but probably not disappointed.

Robopocalypse is in production with Dreamworks and Steven Speilberg pointing to a 2013 release.

They are in your house. They are in your car. They are in the skies…Now they’re coming for you.

In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication. In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans – a single mother disconcerted by her daughter’s menacing “smart” toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a ‘pacification unit’ go haywire – but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.

When the Robot War ignites -- at a moment known later as Zero Hour -- humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us…and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.
synopsis via Amazon

November is National Novel Writing Month

http://files.content.lettersandlight.org/nano-2011/files/2011/10/Press-Release-2011.pdf

This will be the third or fourth year that I've participated in Nanowrimo. It's not always enjoyable, cranking out 50,000 words (whether they be good or bad) isn't easy, and it always saeems that November is a tough month in the Paden household.
I will be trying to give it a go again this year with a title of "Super," involving a man who wakes on his fiftieth birthday with superpowers.
I can't guarantee a finish or anything that will be readable, but I'm going to give it a try.

I want to encourage you to join in. Go to http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and get some info and join the (sometimes) fun.

Book - Heroes of the Valley

Heroes of the Valley (witten by Jonathan Stroud) is the story of Halli Sveinsson, a boy who lives in a village high in the mountains. Long ago his ancestors fought against monsters in the valley, and drove them up into the hills. Halli longs to do great deeds himself and rebels against his uneventful life. Unwittingly his actions unleashes a chain of misfortune that leads to violence – and soon Halli finds himself setting out on a quest of his own. He quickly discovers, however, that real life is rather different from the stories he adores, and it is only with the help of a girl called Aud, who is just as brave and curious as he is, that he manages to survive at all. Together Halli and Aud they begin to piece together the secrets of the valley – but what they uncover threatens to destroy them…
(excerpt from book cover)

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. I've not read any of Stroud's other books, but I may go back and take  look at them. Written in the style of Norse legends, the book has some very dry and not-so-dry wit. The characters take on  life of their own and draw you into the story.

If you have time I would offer my opinion that this is one you should read. 5 out of 5.

Book - The Scroll

One last dig. One final descent into the twisted tunnels of ancient Jerusalem. Will the truth be fund among the treasures that lie beneath the holy city?

Dr. David Chambers, leading archaeologist, has spent his professional career uncovering the facts in the artifacts. His work sets the standard for biblical research in the Holy Land. But surrounded by the evidence, David has sunk into an abyss of doubt. A painful experience with a seemingly unresponsive God has left him without hope. The Old Testament scriptures that used to fi ll his mind with wonder now drive him to frustration. His unanswered questions have ripped him from both his academic pursuits and the love of his life, his fiancée, Amber.
An old friend and mentor reaches out to David, enticing him with the riches described in the enigmatic Copper Scroll. Losing ground with his peers, his love, and his faith, David Chambers has a choice to make. Will he undertake one final dig to unlock a secret that could alter the course of history? Do the mysteries of the Old Testament hold the key to the political turmoil of the Middle East?
In a world where faith has been eclipsed by the allure of doubt, The Scroll offers a different journey: a gripping adventure to find truth worth dying for.

The Scroll, written by Grant R. Jeffrey and Alton Gansky is an excellent book along the lines of a Cussler or Rollins novel. I found the archaeology angle very interesting and the action sequences paced very well.

The characters grow realistically throughout the book and the main characters progression from doubt back to belief is heartfelt.

I admit to skipping over the passages about the high priest’s clothing and the other artifacts that are being pursued in the book and found it very interesting to have aspects of their importance explained in a straight forward manner. The love of biblical archaeology is evident in the writing of the book and the excitement of the search is passed on to the reader.

A definite must-read and a book I am happy to recommend.

This book was provided to me by Waterbrook Press with no strings attached other than an obligation to provide an unbiased review.

Book

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

This is the first book by Andy Andrews that I've read. The Final Summit is the sequel to The Traveler's Gift. In TTG readers met David Ponder who traveled through time with the help of the archangel Gabriel. David met Harry Truman, King Solomon, Joshua Chamberlin, Christopher Columbus, Anne Frank and Abraham Lincoln. Each of these people impart a fundamental of success: The Buck Stops Here, I Will Seeks Wisdom, I Am A Person of Action, I Have a Decided Heart, Today, I Will Choose to be Happy, I possess a Forgiving Spirit, and I Will Persist Without Exception.

The Final Summit opens with David Ponder an older sucessful man still grieving his wife who has died. As he is looking at the items he received from the people he met earler, the archangel Gabriel reappears. He tells David that there will be  summit by all of the Travelers to find the answer to a specific question in order to save civilization. The question that must be answered by the summit is, "What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?" Gabriel explains that David will have the help of five travelers and that along with a time limit (kept by an hourglass), they will only have five opportunities to answer the question. The five Ttravelers David chooses will be the only Travelers that can assist in finding the answer.

David is helped by Winston Churchill, Joan of Arc, Abraham Lincoln, GeorgeWashington Carver and Eris Erickson and King David. The group comes up with five credible answers, but Gabriel tells them that each answer is wrong. Finally having used all of the chances to answer, all of the many Travelers are able to speak with each other. Time has not run out however so they continue to search for the answer. As time is running out a voice calls out, "Do Something!"
After much debate the group decides this is the answer and presents the answer to Gabriel, who confirms that indeed, this is the correct answer.   

I was pleasantly surprised with this book and recommend it as one to pick up and read. While not the most thoroughly polished author, Mr. Andrews does a credible job and I am sure he will continue to improve. I have read much worse efforts by more well-known writers.

I think that you will like this book and am willing to mail you my copy of it. The first person to comment on the post and then email their address to me @ cap080103@gmail.com will have this book mailed to them. 

Books, Part II

The book that I most heartily recommend for reading is the first novel by Ernest Cline. The title, Ready, Player One, gives a hint as to what the book delves into.It explores the reliance on computer nd the attempt to escape reality on the world wide web.
This is an excellent read. 

I like watching the television show "Bones," so I decided to see if I would like the books written by Kathy Reichs. For me, I like some of the books more than others. If you are expecting to find a novel like the tv show, change your expectations. Other than the main character having the same basic occupation and the same name, nothing else is the same. What I've read so far by Kathy Reichs: Spider Bones, Fatal Voyage, Death DuJour, 206 Bones, Devil Bones, Bones to Ashes, Break no Bones, Cross Bones and Monday Morning.

Robert Liparulo is writing a series called "The Dreamhouse Kings." I picked up the first four of the series at Olive's library. The use of the rooms of a house as portals to other times is an interesting one that Liparulo is slowly beginning to use to its potential. I would recommend this series to younger readers, though there are point that are graphic in depictions of violence
I've read House of Dark Shadows, Watcher in the Woods, Gatekeepers, and Timescape.

I Wish I'd Been There is a compilation of 20 essays by historians and history writers edited by Bryan Hollinshead. The writers pick a day in American history and write an explanation of that period and what they would expect to learn or see on that day. Some of the essays are dry, as you would probably expect, but all are informative.

Joseph Cummins has written History's Great Untold Stories.Larger Than Life Characters and Dramatic Events that Changed the World. A long title for a very good book on forgotten and/or little known facts in history.

Robert Heinlein's, The Door Into Summer  is a favorite of min that I re-read every few months. You have a story with time travel, suspended animation, theft, Love triangles within triangles and a cat. What more could you want?

Ted Bell is an adult adventure novelist that has woven a young readers tale that ties into his adult novels through the characters. Nick of Time is a fine effort which should be an enjoyable book for the younger reader.                            

Books

Here's a partial list of the books I've read lately - post 1 of 2:

Against All Enemies & Dead or Alive - Tom Clancy and a co-writer

The Currents of Space - Isaac Asimov

A River in the Sky - Elizabeth Peters

The Lost Gate - Orson Scott Card

It's Your Kid, not a Gerbil - Dr. Tom Leman

The Affair (a Reacher novel) - Lee Child

A Patriot's History of the United States - Larry Schweikert & Michael Allen

Some brief notes on the books.
A Patriot's History is a very good view of our history without a liberal slant to it. The Lost Gate is very good, as is A River in the Sky. The Affair is a novel from the early part of Reacher's military life and a good companion to the other novels. The Clancy novels were so-so. They didn't seem to have the fire as earlier novels. For me, books by Asimov don't have a middle ground. I either like them or don't, and Currents of Space is a real miss for me.

Booklist - A Review of "The Corruptible" by Mark Mynheir

My most recent book provided free of charge by Waterbrook Multnomah was “The Corruptible” by Mark Mynheir. As always, the only strings attached for having been provided the book was an unbiased review of same. So here goes.

“The Corruptible” is a mystery featuring private investigator Ray Quinn. Ray made his debut in “The Night Watchman.” In his newest adventure, Ray is well on the way to becoming an alcoholic as a way to cope with his injuries suffered in the previous novel. Along with his sidekick Crevis and friend Pam he winds his way through a tangled web of deceit to solve a murder and take down other criminal types along the way.

Ray goes from drunk to recovering drunk in the scope of the book, and also begins to learn to lean on God through the trials of the book. The mark of a good read is seeing the characters grow throughout the novel and Mynheir does a credible job with making his characters relatable.

I enjoyed “The Corruptible.” It’s well paced and written and would recommend it with a 4 of 5.

Apologies

It's been a while since my last post. You know how life is, it gets complicated and cramped.
I'll try to do better.