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July 13
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Fred D.
gave
 
to:
The Horse and His Boy (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 3)
by C.S. Lewis
bookshelves:
fantasy
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
Fred D. said:
"I first read this book back in Middle School I believe, and didn't particularly like it. In fact, I question whether I actually finished it. I recently re-read it and appreciated it more this time. The final battle at the end was particularly interes...more
I first read this book back in Middle School I believe, and didn't particularly like it. In fact, I question whether I actually finished it. I recently re-read it and appreciated it more this time. The final battle at the end was particularly interesting to read, the most detailed account of a battle up to this point in the series....less
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July 11
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Fred D.
added Ender's Game
to the book list Best science fiction books
add a comment »
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Fred D.
gave
to:
Jurassic Park (Mass Market Paperback)
by Michael Crichton
bookshelves:
science-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: Anyone
read in January, 1994
Fred D. said:
"Very good book, immensely enjoyed it. I also loved the movie, but I think the book was better. The plot of the book was more complex. It also went into more detail with the science behind the story, which I appreciated. The movie was reasonably faith...more
Very good book, immensely enjoyed it. I also loved the movie, but I think the book was better. The plot of the book was more complex. It also went into more detail with the science behind the story, which I appreciated. The movie was reasonably faithful to the book, the major differences being simply that a lot of stuff was left out of the movie, and the plot was streamlined, which is understandable.
As far as my opinions go regarding the issues raised by the story, I think the idea of bringing dinosaurs back is very intriguing. I like to think it is possible, but I realize that finding in-tact dino DNA after 65 million years is extremely remote. We'd have more luck with more recently-extinct species, such as mammoths or Neanderthals. But even if you could bring back dinos, I think it would be insane to bring back any carnivores! I mean that's lunacy!!! I also didn't buy the idea that these dinos in the story could change sexes and reproduce. frog DNA wouldn't make it possible. Nevertheless, the book does an awesome job of driving home the message that "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray" and "whatever can go wrong will go wrong". These points are well taken. Another important message I saw in the book had to do with the arrogance of Scientists. Just because scientists can do something, doesn't mean they should. Jeff Goldblum's character in the movie drove home that point particularly well. I think some scientists and bioengineers today forget that. I also see it as a classic tragic hero story, of a man with ambitions that exceed his grasp. When people with wealth and power start thinking they can do anything, we all need to be very afraid. They reach beyond their grasp, they fall, and the consequences are disasterous, not just for them but everyone around them. Another point well taken....less
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June 10
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Fred D.
took the never-ending book quiz.
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June 07
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Fred D.
gave
to:
Man of Many Minds (Paperback)
by E. Everett Evans
bookshelves:
science-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 1982
Fred D. said:
"Cadet George Hansen is in some military school in the far future and is selected to join an elite Secret Service organization. He also has extraordinary mental powers, among them the ability to talk to animals, and transfer parts of his mind into oth...more
Cadet George Hansen is in some military school in the far future and is selected to join an elite Secret Service organization. He also has extraordinary mental powers, among them the ability to talk to animals, and transfer parts of his mind into other animals. These powers come in handy throughout his adventures in the Secret Service.
I thought it was a really good book. It has a really strong hook at the beginning that really gets you sympathizing with the character. You see, the Secret Service is so secret, that no one is supposed to know he's a member of it except of course other members. So the suthorities fake his expulsion from the military academy to make it seem to everyone that he's not in the military any more. Once that's done, then he begins his training as a secret agent.
I really enjoyed the beginning of the book a lot, it definitely got me hooked. But The rest of the book I enjoyed somewhat less. Still pretty good, though. The end of the book made me think that more books starring this character were to follow, but I don't know if there were any. If not, there should have been. It's an interesting character, it would have been nice to read more of his adventures....less
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Fred D.
gave
to:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
by J.K. Rowling
bookshelves:
fantasy
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: Anyone
read in March, 2008
Fred D. said:
"WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!! The Half-Blood Prince was easily the best book in the series up to this point. It kept me riveted. This book is right up there among the best fantasy I've ever read. Rowling has finally earned a place in my mind among the be...more
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!! The Half-Blood Prince was easily the best book in the series up to this point. It kept me riveted. This book is right up there among the best fantasy I've ever read. Rowling has finally earned a place in my mind among the best fantasy writers. I know, I came to that realization kind-of late, but this was the first book of hers that really blew me away. It was fascinating to see the scope of the story expand and long-time mysteries be illuminated. In any great fictional story, the scope of the story expands as the story arc progresses. That was definitely the case with this book. The scope of the story expanded, and your knowledge of what's going on greatly increased. Everything that happened up to this point is seen in a larger context.
Now that the Ministry is convinced that Voldemort is back, the real war against Voldemort has begun. People are dying every day. Has Snape betrayed the Order of the Phoenix? The book gets off to a suspenseful start. Then Dumbledore decides to give Harry private lessons, and each lesson is fascinating as they use the pensieve to explore memories of different people to try to figure out Voldemort's origins, motives, and plans. Voldemort gives Harry an assignment to collect a memory from Professor Slughorn, one of the new teachers on the staff, that holds the key to understanding Voldemort's plans. Harry obtains the memory, and from that point forward I could not put the book down. Each chapter from that point on was riveting. Each one contained incredible, amazing events that expanded the scope of the story arc and expanded your understanding of what was happening. The chapter on on 'horcruxes' in particular blew me away. Finally we know how Voldemort achieved immortality! Now it was clear what had to be done to defeat him! It changed everything. That chapter changed and defined the course of the rest of the series. Later, Dumbledore took Harry on a mission to destroy one of the horcruxes, and the account of that excursion was brilliant. I was totally riveted. It was so descriptive, so suspenseful. Upon their return to Hogwarts, they discovered that the school had been infiltrated by Death Eaters, and a full-blown battle erupted. Again, it was so suspenseful, I could not put the book down.
Somehow I knew that Dumbledore had to die. Harry had been under Dumbledore's tutelage and protection throughout the whole series. I could see why Dumbledore dying was necessary for Potter's further growth and development. It sets things up so that Potter will have to face Voldemort one last time in the last book, alone, totally unaided. It had to be that way. One thing worries me though. Is Harry ready? After all, he hasn't completed his education and training. Harry was no match for Snape in their duel at the end of Half-Blood Prince. He still has a lot to learn. How can he ever track down and destroy 4 horcruxes, and then destroy Voldemort, all by himself? This is by-far the largest task he's ever had to face, and seems too much for him. Well, we'll just have to see, shall we?
P.S.: Am I the only one that has a reasonable guess as to who R.A.B. stands for? Without having read Deathly Hollows or knowing anything about how things actually turn out, I think I have it figured out. Think about it: Who in the entire series do we know with a last name that begins with a B? Well of course, there's the Black family. Now there are lots of Blacks, but who among the Blacks has a first name beginning with an R, who opposed Voldemort? Of course! Sirius's brother Regulus! Who else could it possibly be? Regulus stole the horcrux, and soon after Voldemort killed him. It all makes sense. Why hasn't anybody else figured it out? Remember, this is just a theory. I haven't read Deathly Hallows and I know nothing about how things actually turn out. I'll have to read on and see if I'm right....less
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May 18
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Fred D.
gave
to:
Contact (Paperback)
by Carl Sagan
bookshelves:
science-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended for: Anyone
read in January, 1990
Fred D. said:
"It's funny to me that Dr. Sagan, an avowed atheist, would write a book which included some strong arguments in support of the concept of faith. I really loved this book, though I am religious. It made me think long and hard about many issues surround...more
It's funny to me that Dr. Sagan, an avowed atheist, would write a book which included some strong arguments in support of the concept of faith. I really loved this book, though I am religious. It made me think long and hard about many issues surrounding the conflict between science and religion. Though there are many attacks on religion in this book, some of them justified, some of them not, in the end I chose to interpret the book on the whole as a defense of the concept of faith.
It was wonderfully ironic how Ellie, who had criticized people of faith for a long time, near the end of the book found herself in a position where she was asking other people to accept her story of her contact with the aliens without being able to give them any proof. In essence, she was asking them to have faith in her. Isn't that exactly the position that every prophet, every person who has ever had a personal experience with God has been in? Wonderfully ironic.
One of the coolest things mentioned in the book was unfortunately left out of the movie. Ellie asked the alien (who appeared to her in the form of her father) if they were the ones who had constructed the network of wormholes that she had traveled through. He said no, that they were far older, presumably created by some ancient race responsible for shaping the universe. The alien went on to say that whoever it was left a message in the irrational number pi. I read that and I'm thinking whoever was responsible for that would fit the definition of God. So later on, at the end of the book, Ellie goes home and starts calculating pi out as far as possible in search of a hidden message. She finally finds it! The message embedded in pi starts out with a picture of a perfect circle!
Ellie had maintained that if there was a God, then somewhere in nature He would have left some sort of proof of His existence, some sort of message. At the end of the book she found it. Wow! To me it was powerful stuff.
As an aside, I loved the movie too, though it took some liberties with the plot that irked me. Anyway, after seeing it I invited my girlfriend at the time to go see it with me (the first time I'd seen it was before we started dating). So we went to see it together and she hated it, and actually walked out of the theater not 20 minutes into the movie. She was a very straight-laced girl who didn't like the swearing at the beginning of the movie. We got into a big argument over it. She just couldn't get past the swearing in order to see the beautiful deep message the movie was trying to convey. We didn't break up at that point, but it was one contributing factor in our breakup a few months later.
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April 10
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Fred D.
gave
to:
The Other Side of Heaven (Paperback)
by John H. Groberg
bookshelves:
biography,
religion
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended for: Anyone
read in January, 2005
Fred D. said:
"Account of LDS Church leader John H. Goberg's Mission to Tonga when he was a young man back in the 1950's. Classic fish-out-of-water story filled with many humorous culture-shock anecdotes. More importantly though, I was utterly amazed and awed by hi...more
Account of LDS Church leader John H. Goberg's Mission to Tonga when he was a young man back in the 1950's. Classic fish-out-of-water story filled with many humorous culture-shock anecdotes. More importantly though, I was utterly amazed and awed by his amazing experiences. He nearly died several times, always apparently miraculously preserved. He brought a boy back to life afer falling out of a tree, nearly starved to death, nearly drowned, and faced innumerable other obstacles as he went about his missionary duties. But not only did he survive, but he had many impressive accomplishments, establishing and running schools, and serving as a District President overseeing several LDS congregations. His amazing determination, work ethic, faith, and success in the face of incredible obstacles is an inspiration to me....less
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Fred D.
gave
to:
Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt (Paperback)
by Parley P. Pratt
bookshelves:
biography,
religion
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in January, 2005
Fred D. said:
"Fascinating story of the life of early LDS Church leader Parley P. Pratt. It gave a very interesting account of day-to-day life as a member of the LDS Church in the mid-1800's. For most of his life he walked everywhere he needed to go. He criss-cross...more
Fascinating story of the life of early LDS Church leader Parley P. Pratt. It gave a very interesting account of day-to-day life as a member of the LDS Church in the mid-1800's. For most of his life he walked everywhere he needed to go. He criss-crossed the continent numerous times on foot! Wow. Then it was interesting to see how technology changed as time passed, so that late in his life he was taking the train everywhere. Perhaps the most touching parts for me were the story of his conversion to the LDS Church, and also his reaction upon hearing of the death of Joseph Smith, and his comments reflecting on Smith's life. Perhaps most controversial was his staunch defense late in the book of the old LDS practice of polygamy....less
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Fred D.
gave
to:
A Rage for Revenge (War Against the Chtorr, Book 3)
by David Gerrold
bookshelves:
science-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Fred D. said:
"Very fascinating book with a unique spin on the alien invasion story. Prior to invasion, the aliens attempt to 'reverse terraform' the Earth by introducing plant and animal life from their home planet that wipe out Earth's native flora & fauna to...more
Very fascinating book with a unique spin on the alien invasion story. Prior to invasion, the aliens attempt to 'reverse terraform' the Earth by introducing plant and animal life from their home planet that wipe out Earth's native flora & fauna to make the envirnment more suitable to them. Earthlife easily gets out-competed. First, alien microbes are introduced that wipe out 90% of the human population. Civilization collapses, and the survivors are left to try and desperately hang on as wave after wave of deadly alien flora and fauna are introduced. Very violent book, very dark. I never finished the series, so I don't know what happens at the end of the last book. I only made it through the first 3 books....less
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