The Man of Many Genres

Orson Scott Card is one of the most superior science fiction authors of our time. In one of his most recent novels, Empire, he disregards aliens and space shuttles to write about presidential assassinations and Al Qaeda actions. At first I was not sure whether Card should write political fiction as opposed to sticking with his science fiction bestsellers. It turns out, Card can write anything and surpass most authors easily.

Empire begins in a Middle Eastern village. A small team of Americans led by a Captain Reuben Malich are gaining trust to the civilians so that they can catch some people that the United States suspect to be Al Qaeda operatives.

The first chapter may be the weakest part in the book. Yet it too is very good. After Malich and the others get back from the Middle East, Malich gets his gold oak leaves, the insignia of Major in the United States Army.

Soon, Captain Bartholomew Coleman gets assigned to Major Malich. They are together when they see and almost prevent the assassination of the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The plot thickens when the readers discover that Malich's Special Operations job three months ago was to figure out a way to kill the President so that the White House could take necessary precautions against this event.

The precautions were not taken, Malich's plan was followed to the tee, and now Malich and Coleman know two things: one, there is a leak in the White House that would give the information to terrorists, and two, Malich is going to get a lot of bad publicity as the soldier that supposedly tried to save the President after figuring out how to kill him just a few months before.

The story goes on from there with new enemies to the government, more of Malich's friends, and plenty of intelligent writing and action. Card creates an excellent story that will soon become a video game by Chair Entertainment, and the film writes of which have been acquired by Warner Bros.

Card shows that he is an excellent novelist of every genre in Empire. It is a very, very good book. No political fiction collection is complete without Empire.

http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Science-Fiction-Orson-Scott/dp/0765355221/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218846971&sr=8-3

Grade: 9

Mission: Accomplished

It has been quite a busy year for Alex Rider.

Rider, protagonist of the best-selling Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, is a fourteen-year-old superspy for England's intelligence agency, MI6. His adventures take him all over the world, from Cornwall, to the French Alps, to Venice.

The first book in the series, Stormbreaker, starts off with Alex Rider's uncle, Ian Rider, dying. He was orphaned as a young child and had been living with his uncle and an American student named Jack Starbright ever since. Alex learns that his uncle was not just a businessman. He was a very successful spy from MI6. And Alex learns that now they want him to take Ian's place. They send him to Cornwall, where he is to inspect the businessman Herod Sayle. Sayle is planning to give out free Stormbreaker computers to every school in England, and MI6 thinks he is a little too shady for comfort.

This first book in the series is an excellent beginning to one of my favorite series. Horowitz makes us feel suspenseful as we wonder what Alex's next move will be. It is an interesting story to which the recent movie does not do much justice. Stormbreaker is very good.

http://www.amazon.com/Stormbreaker-Rider-Adventure-Anthony-Horowitz/dp/0142406112/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

Grade: 8

The second book featuring Alex Rider, Point Blanc (or Point Blank in the United States), sends Alex on another adventure. MI6 wants Alex back. There are several murders that occur that the British spy agency thinks are related. One is of a billionaire named Michael Roscoe, and another is of billionaire Viktor Ivanov. Alex goes to Point Blanc Academy, high in the Alps in France, posing as the son of a billionaire. MI6 suspects the headmasters of Point Blanc as being related to the murders.

The second book in the series might be my favorite one. It is even better than its predecessor, combining plot twists, murder conspiracies, and heart-throbbing action to make an excellent story.

http://www.amazon.com/Stormbreaker-Rider-Adventure-Anthony-Horowitz/dp/014240165X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218576420&sr=1-2

Grade: 8.5


Alex Rider returns in Skeleton Key, the third novel in the Alex Rider series. Alex's help is required by the Secret Service again, but this time, America's. Alex goes to the United States to assist the CIA in a case involving Russian General Alexei Sarov, who is a Communist living on Cayo Esqueleto, or Skeleton Key. He is to meet up with the President of Russia in a few days, and the CIA thinks that foul play might occur. Because Sarov has a nuclear weapon.

This third book is tied with Point Blanc as my favorite in the series. Horowitz writes a thrilling story with plenty of action and surprises in stock for both Alex and the reader. Horowitz weaves an excellent web in this novel.

http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Alex-Rider-Anthony-Horowitz/dp/0142406147/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218676422&sr=8-1

Grade: 8.5

Book 4 in the series is titled Eagle Strike, and is the first novel where Alex's services are not required by the CIA nor MI6. The superstar and philanthropist Damian Cray is one of the most famous and celebrated men in the world, but Alex thinks that this man may not be all that he seems. He knows that Cray has dealings with shady people, but MI6 does not believe his suspicions. Alex decides to use vigilante justice and reveal Cray's true identity for the world to see.

Eagle Strike, while not as good as its two predecessors, is very good. It has excellent scenes and people, along with stunning events and revelations. From the beginning on a French beach to the finale on Air Force One, Eagle Strike is a very good book.

http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Strike-Rider-Anthony-Horowitz/dp/0142406139/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218676869&sr=1-2

Grade: 8

The fifth book in the series, Scorpia, again has Alex working for no one but himself. He is on vacation in Venice, when he decides to delve into the mysterious world of Scorpia, the criminal organization whose name stans for Sabotage, CORruPtion, Intelligence, and Assassination. He discovers that his late parents, who had died about the time Alex was born, had worked for Scorpia. Alex is torn between his urge to help MI6, who had lied and blackmailed him before to do what they wanted, or Scorpia, who had killed many, many people, just for money.

Scorpia is not the best Alex Rider book. It is good, but there are many far-fetched scenes. For example, Alex should not be able to fight and win many people who had been doing karate their whole lives, or follow a speedboat through the canals of Venice on foot, while there are crowds and crowds of people surrounding him. I would recommend this book, but it is not the same Alex Rider adventure as the previous four.

http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Strike-Rider-Anthony-Horowitz/dp/0142406139/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218676869&sr=1-2

Grade: 7.5

The sixth of so far seven Alex Rider books published (and the last one I have read) is Ark Angel. Alex is in a very prestigious hospital, recovering from a sniper bullet that he received just above his heart, when kidnappers from the ecoterrorist group Force Three attempt to kidnap the patient next door to Alex. Alex prevents them from doing this, but gets kidnapped himself in the process. He escapes, and finds out that the patient next door was Paul Drevin, son of the multibillionaire Nikolei Drevin. Drevin is planning to build the first commercial hotel in outer space, Ark Angel. Drevin lets Alex stay with him for a couple of weeks in return for him saving Paul. Adventure abounds.

Ark Angel is much like Scorpia. There are some far-fetched scenes. But for the most part, it is very good. It is filled with double-crossings, action, and well-thought-out plans. If you can ignore the few ridiculous events, Ark Angel is very good.

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Alex-Rider-Anthony-Horowitz/dp/0142407380/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218677835&sr=1-1

Grade: 8

Anthony Horowitz has definitely written an excellent series with Alex Rider. It is much like the James Bond series of books, the first book of which I will soon write a review for. Horowitz started strong with Stormbreaker, wrote excellently with Point Blanc, Skeleton Key, and Eagle Strike, fell down with Scorpia, but rose again with Ark Angel. (I have not read the seventh book, Snakehead, yet, but I hope I do soon. All in all, Horowitz has a Mission: Accomplished.

Baby, I Can Dig This Book

I am not a horror reader. When I was in elementary school, I used to occasionally enjoy reading a scary story, but, to use a phrase very ironically, "nevermore." I assume it is for this reason that I have never gotten around to reading a single Stephen King book, even though he may be the most renowned author of our time.

Well, I have been missing out.

Just recently, I finished Stephen King's The Stand. It is an excellent book, that is not very scary, but is very powerful and well-written. The Stand is a post-apocalyptic story. The United States government creates a superflu with a 99.4% death rate. The virus leaks out into the country through a morbid mistake. Within a few weeks, only .6% of the world is still alive. In 1985, when the story takes place, that would leave almost 29,000 people in the whole world.

Among the survivors, of whom the story is obviously about, are the following important characters:

Larry Underwood, singer of the hit song "Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?";

Harold Lauder, a teenager with impure thoughts;

Frannie Goldsmith, a pregnant unwed young woman;

Stuart Redman, a tough Texan who does what he can for others;

Glen Bateman, a retired sociology professor;

Nick Andros, an intelligent deafmute;

Lloyd Henreid, a convicted murderer from a Nevada prison.

These people and all the other survivors of the superflu are spread out across the United States. At night, though, they have strange dreams. One dream is of a very old black woman in Nebraska, the picture of goodness and purity. The other dream is of a very dark and evil man west of the Rockies. Every person is drawn to one of these two for their own reasons.

King writes the story excellently. It is not a quick read (800+ pages), so he can truly tell the story of every person and their quest to make a new life when all others have gone. Anyone who loves fiction or science fiction should read this excellent addition to writing.

Note: This book has two versions. I read the original version, although there is also an uncut version of the story that I have not read. Also, younger readers should wait to read this, as it has a lot of mature content.

Original Version:
http://www.amazon.com/Stand-Modern-Classics-Stephen-King/dp/0517219018/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217964325&sr=8-1

Uncut and Expanded Version:
http://www.amazon.com/Stand-Expanded-First-Complete-Signet/dp/0451169530/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217964325&sr=8-2

Grade: 9