Foundation

Isaac Asimov was one of the foremost science fiction authors until his death in 1992. Among his many achievements is the fact that he has written and edited over 500 different books, and having an asteroid named after him (the 5020 Asimov). But what may be the most amazing is winning the Hugo Award for Best All-Time Series in 1966 for his Foundation Trilogy (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation).

Foundation, the first book in this series, has five parts, four of which had been previously published in the magazine Astounding Science-Fiction. This novel is about the psychohistorian Hari Seldon and his quest to save the Galaxy from 30,000 years of chaos.

The novel opens with a young mathematician named Gaal Dornick as he is flying to the planet Trantor to meet Seldon. Hari "Raven" Seldon was looked upon by some to be a very intelligent and extraordinary man by most as a trouble-maker. He invented the branch of mathematics known as psychohistory. With psychohistory, one could predict the likely outcome of events in the future. Seldon discovered that the Galactic Empire would indeed fall within the next 300 years, and then would follow 30,000 years of chaos in the galaxy before the Empire rose again. But if Seldon and his followers and their descendants could create a society known as the Foundation, the 30,000 years would be reduced to a mere millenium.

And so follows the chronicle of the Foundation on the planet Terminus, at the very edge of the Galaxy. At first, the Foundation's only goal, as given them by the long-dead Seldon, was to make the Encyclopedia Galactica, a conglomeration of all the information known to mankind. They were governed by a committee whose only care was for the Encyclopedia. But, as with the rest of the Galaxy, many changes were stirring within the Foundation.

Asimov's story of how one man sought to save the Universe 29,000 years of misfortune is a success. Although it is very brief--only 255 pages--it successfully chronicles several years in the life of the Foundation, its struggles and failures, its successes and discoveries, and its role in the eventual deterioration of the Galactic Empire. This is a very good beginning to a highly-spoken-of series.

http://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Novels-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553293354/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227312127&sr=8-2

Grade: 8.5

What a Guy

Some authors write their autobiographies so that we can read a good, inspirational story. Others write stories about their lives so that we can see how they overcame challenges in their lives to rise to greatness. Still other people are just very interesting to read about. But try as I might, I cannot for the life of me figure out why Gary Soto wrote an autobiography.

Living Up the Street tells about the circumstances involving the childhood of Gary Soto, a writer from Fresno, California. From the very beginning, the story is not interesting. The first chapter, titled "Being Mean," tells of how Soto and his brother Rick greet their new neighbors by getting in a fight with them. When Gary and Rick lose, they find a stray cat, and put it and their own cat in a bag to hit their neighbors with. Oh boy, that sure makes me want to be like you, Soto.

And the time when he talks about breaking into his friend's recently married sister's house to steal her radio, food, and lamp, and then return it before she gets home just because he did not have enough money to escape to San Francico with it, that sure makes me feel good inside.

Oh, I almost forgot about the highly inspirational part where Soto talks about hanging out with his friend Jackie on the weekend. They sure are good citizens, knocking over trash cans and breaking into stores to steal their mannequins so that they can fight with them. Gosh, Soto, you're like George Washington, such an asset to society.

Living Up the Street is a very terrible autobiography. The events written about are so base as to be slightly offensive. Does Soto actually think that readers will learn something from his book, that they will want to be more like him after reading it? Because no one will. This book is not worth the ink and paper that was used to make it. I am sorry, Soto, but we just do not care.

Grade: 2.5

Miss Marple, Detective Extraordinnaire

There is something about murder mysteries that seems to make the individual want to read more and more. Murder, which is frowned upon in modern society, has continued to captivate readers everywhere for many, many years.

One of the most renowned names in murder was the author and playwright Agatha Christie. Her novels are some of the most well-known in mystery fiction, including And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. Her play The Mousetrap is the longest-running play in history. And there have also been T.V. shows made on her characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

Miss Marple is the detective in The Tuesday Club Murders (also known as The Thirteen Problems), an anthology where Miss Marple solves many mysteries without leaving her armchair. The thirteen stories in the book all feature Miss Jane Marple, detective extraordinnaire, as she solves both criminal problems for Scotland Yard and miniscule, everyday problems for herself and her friends. My picks for the best stories in it are "The Blood-Stained Pavement", "The Blue Geranium", and "The Companion"

The narrator for "The Blood-Stained Pavement" is Joyce Lemprière. Joyce was on vacation in Cornwall, England, when she noticed a husband and wife next to her. They were Denis and Margery. Pretty soon, a woman drove up. Denis recognized her as his old friend, Carol. They go off swimming together. That afternoon, Joyce sees blood on the driveway near her rented house. Denis and Margery return without Carol. They go back to look for her, the blood is not there anymore, and Margery is found dead a week later. This sounds like a case for Miss Marple.

"The Blue Geranium" is about Mr. George Pritchard. His wife was a semi-invalid who was very prone to complaints, and had many nurses at different times to take care of her. One day a fortune-teller comes to the Pritchards' house. She tells Mrs. Pritchard to beware blue flowers. A number of days later, the Pritchards get a note that says that a blue primrose is a warning, a blue hollyhock is danger, and a blue geranium is death, and to beware the full moon. On the next full moon, one of the primroses on the wallpaper in Mrs. Pritchard's room turns blue. Four weeks later, on the next full moon, a hollyhock turns blue. Four weeks later, on the third full moon, a geranium turns blue, and Mrs. Pritchard is discovered to be dead.

"The Companion" another very interesting conundrum. Dr. Lloyd tells Miss Marple of a story that he encountered while living in the Canary Islands. He sees two women traveling together. They are not special at all; they are the most unimportant-looking people one could see. But the next day, while they were swimming, one of them started to drown. The other one tried to save her, but to no avail. He questions the would-be heroine and some witnesses. A few months later, a suicide note written by the survivor of the women is found and the woman drowned herself, although the body was not found. Of course, Miss Marple must discover the answer to this mystery.

The Tuesday Club Murders is an excellent example of Christie's writing skill. The thirteen stories in this book all seem very strange and confusing, but Marple solves them with the utmost ease using her incredible brain and past experiences. While it cannot be compared to novels of hers such as And Then There Were None, it is very good.

http://www.amazon.com/Tuesday-Club-Murders-Christie-Collection/dp/1579126901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225581086&sr=8-1

Grade: 8

A Worthy Sequel

Orson Scott Card has continued to dazzle and impress readers and critics alike with his excellent stories and intelligent writing. What might be his most well-known work, Ender's Game, has spawned many sequels, including Speaker for the Dead, a winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, and Ender's Shadow, a book which, along with Ender's Game, has earned him a lifetime achievement award from the Young Adult Library Services Association. He wrote "The Ender Saga" (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind) and "The Shadow Saga" (Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, and Shadow of the Giant), as well as other novels in the "Enderverse" (First Meetings and A War of Gifts: An Ender Story).

Xenocide, incidentally, is the book which I just finished enjoying.

The book takes place on Lusitania in about the 53rd century. Lusitania is the only known planet in the universe on which is found the pequeninos, the only living sentient species besides humans known to mankind. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is living there with his family. Unfortunately, Starways Congress, the head of all humanity, sees it fit for Lusitania to be destroyed by a extremely powerful bomb.

As can be expected, no one on Lusitania favors this idea very much at all. So Ender's intelligent and almost living computer cuts off all communication between Starways Congress and the fleet sent to destroy Lusitania. It is as if the fleet just disappeared into thin air. People on Lusitania wonder if this is enough to save their lives and the lives of the pequeninos, while some people elsewhere, especially a young Chinese girl named Han Qing-Jao, are trying to figure out how to get the fleet back.

Card makes a book that lives up to Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. It is a worthy sequel that explores such philosophical questions as "When does a computer become more than a computer?" and "Should humanity sacrifice itself for other species?"

The characters in Xenocide are made realistic. They are believable people who seem to act just like most human beings in their capacities would. This all forms to be a book that should not be looked over.

http://www.amazon.com/Xenocide-Ender-Book-Quartet/dp/0312861877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224356085&sr=8-1

Grade: 8.5

An Ordinary Voyage

It seems that in the past few years, 3-D movies have become much more numerous than they were before. One of the more recent movies of this kind is "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D," starring Brendan Fraser. It did very well in the box office, but I doubt it will have the same legacy as its namesake.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne, was written during the time of the American Civil War. That was a very long time ago, and yet it is still a very well-known story. Journey to the Centre of the Earth is told through the eyes of Axel, a nineteen-year-old living with his strict Uncle Lidenbrock.

When Lidenbrock buys an ancient tome at a bookstore in town, he is very pleased to see that the book was once owned by Arne Saknussemm, a very famous Icelandic alchemist. He is even more thrilled when a note written in Icelandic falls out of the book. Axel and Uncle Lidenbrock proceed to decipher the mysterious note, and, after days of fruitless searching, they finally figure out the answer.

The note tells of a secret passageway in a crater called Sneffels (in Iceland) that leads to the centre of the earth. Axel and Lidenbrock depart immediately. With the help of their guide Hans, they embark on their treacherous journey to the interior of our planet.

Jules Verne wrote Journey to the Centre of the Earth over a century ago, so the writing style is often humorous how old it seems. The book is very slow for the most part; it does not have very much suspense or edge-of-your-seat action. Yet Verne wrote an interesting tale that has survived many years of history. Even if this "Voyage Extraordinaire" does not have the same features that a modern adventure novel today would have, it is still good, and should be read and enjoyed by present and future generations.

http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Centre-Earth-Puffin-Classics/dp/0141321040/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223751127&sr=8-4

Grade: 7

The Twilight Anthology

"It was a warm afternoon in early September when I first met the Illustrated Man." That is the first sentence in Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man. That is not true for myself (it was actually an afternoon in March), but I am definitely glad that I read it.

Bradbury has a very peculiar style that is distinct, but excellent. Though he wrote a few novels (Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes being two of the more-well-known), the bulk of Bradbury's writing was made up of short stories. And he was definitely good at writing them.

In The Illustrated Man, Bradbury writes dark stories with chilling lessons and creepy plots. Eighteen stories (plus a prologue and an epilogue) make up this excellent anthology. My three favorites are "Zero Hour", "The Fox and the Forest", and "Marionettes, Inc." (in no particular order).

"The Fox and the Forest" concerns a couple in Mexico, 1935. They are from the future (the year 2155, actually), and used the company Travel in Time, Inc. to get to the past. Their trip was only supposed to last a few days, but they evaded security and escaped so that the husband in the relationship would not get drafted for the war in 2155. But the government figures them out and tries to catch them....

"Marionettes, Inc." is also very good. Braling and Smith are two good friends who just had a good night at the bar, when Braling says that he has to go home. They walk to Braling's home together, and Braling shows Smith how he was able to leave the house, even with his over-protective wife. It is because he has a robot that looks and is just like himself, tailored personally for him by Marionettes, Inc.

"Zero Hour" takes place on a futuristic Earth. All the kids in a certain town are playing a game that they call "Invasion" with each other. Their parents can hardly get them to do anything, they are so busy with the game. Mrs. Morris finds out that in fact it is a game that kids all across America are playing all at the same time. Very interesting.

Bradbury made an excellent collection of stories in The Illustrated Man. They all have the feel of a "Twilight Zone" episode. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with a passion for reading and a taste for things a little bit quirky.

http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Man-Grand-Master-Editions/dp/055327449X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223680907&sr=8-1

Grade: 8.5

A Household Name

Agatha Christie has proved herself to me to be a great author in And Then There Were None, a book which I consider one of the best books ever written. The plot was excellent, and it just showed the great mind that Christie had.

Again she shows her talent in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, the book which claims to be "the book that made Agatha Christie a household name."

The book opens with the death of Mrs. Ferrars, an old widow. She was accused of killing her husband Ashley, and then committing suicide years later. Dr. Sheppard, the narrator of the book, goes to his friend Roger Ackroyd's house for dinner one night, and they talk over the death of Mrs. Ferrars. Later that night, Mr. Ackroyd, a widower, is found dead in his house, a dagger in his neck.

The suspects include many people: all of Ackroyd's servants, especially Parker, the butler; Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd, Roger's sister-in-law; Flora Ackroyd, Mrs. Ackroyd's daughter; Ralph Paton, Roger's stepson; and Hector Blunt, another one of Roger Ackroyd's friends and a big-game hunter. The evidence does not seem to point to anyone in particular, and almost everyone seems to have a motive, but no one the opportunity. Enter Hercule Poirot.

Poirot, Christie's most famous detective, comes out of retirement to inspect the case. He is a small Belgian who speaks French very often, and is confident in his skills. With Poirot on the case, some very astonishing things are found out.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is an excellent story that shows Christie's ingenuity at finding a good case and an even better investigation. The story has suspense, humor, and many quirky characters that make it a very good book that every mystery novel epicure would enjoy. Small wonder it made Christie a household name.

http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Roger-Ackroyd-Christie-Collection/dp/1579126278/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221346239&sr=1-1

Grade: 9

Good, Very Good

Pop quiz! From what famous book series are these items: a dry martini, shaken, not stirred; a mysterious man named M.; a license to kill; and the immortal line, "My name is Bond, James Bond."

That's right, they are all from Ian Fleming's James Bond series, one of the most famous and imitated book series of all time. James Bond, British superspy, was created in Casino Royale, the movie of which was created in 2006.

Casino Royale is an excellent work of spy fiction. James Bond is the epitome of spies. He is cold, dark, and dangerous. Everything he does is carefully thought out. He is one of the most well-known characters in literature history for good reason. Fleming created an excellent, intelligent character in Casino Royale.

The book opens with James Bond at the Casino Royale in Royale-Les-Eaux, France. He is on an assignment for MI6, given to him because he is MI6's best gambler. Bond, armed with a double-O license to kill, has a very exciting mission.

At Casino Royale, Bond must play the international Russian criminal Le Chiffre in baccarat and win. Le Chiffre is running from the Russian government, with a lot of money from a Communist society he belongs to. He too goes to Casino Royale to make a lot more money.

Le Chiffre is the bank in a baccarat game, and James Bond must exhaust the bank. The game ends, and later that night, Le Chiffre and his henchmen kidnap Bond's beautiful assistant, Vesper Lynd. Bond goes after them, and meets up with Le Chiffre in the climax of the novel.

Fleming writes the book excellently. His portrayal of Bond as a superspy who is a master at his trade does not make him completely invincible, but it shows how tough he is. Every assistant of his, including the British Vesper Lynd, the French Rene Mathis, and the American Felix Leiter, are good characters, but they pale in comparison to Bond, James Bond. This is a very good book.

Note: While Casino Royale is very good, it has some mature material, and is not appropriate for younger readers.

http://www.amazon.com/Casino-Royale-Penguin-Modern-Classics/dp/0141187581/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221015124&sr=1-11

Grade: 8.5

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.