So I have been a bit behind with my reviews

One thing I like to do before I review a book is to look up some Wiki pages and other reviews to get a feel for how others reacted to the book. First of all, the Wikipedia entry for this book was no help at all, so much so that I’m considering updating it myself. I’m glad I took some notes while I was reading. I ran across some very harsh reviews on Amazon that had I read beforehand, I might not have picked up this book. Quite a few of the die-hard fans said to read just the first third of the book and stop. After that point, many of the reviewers pointed out that it is fairly obvious that Lindskold deviated from Zelazny’s quick and witty formula.

I, however, loved Donnerjack. It is probably one of my favorite reads in the past few years. About seven years or so ago I enjoyed reading The Great Book of Amber by Zelazny. It was also one of my first exposures to fantasy along with the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Later on I went on to read Lord of Light, also by Zelazny, which I also loved. I’ve also read This Immortal and finally Lord Demon, which is the other book of Zelany’s that Lindskold helped finish. Lord Demon was good, so I didn’t think twice before grabbing Donnerjack. I’ve also not read any Zelazny in the past 3-4 years, so I can’t say I was as aware of the change in writing style as others were. With that said, there was definitely a noticeable difference between Part I and Part II. Thinking back, I would almost say that they could have been split into two different books. (more…)

I came across a recommendation for Tau Zero by Poul Anderson on a top 10 list of science fiction novels. I was a bit intrigued because I recognized all of the authors on the list except this one. I did a little bit of research and found that this novel was more of “hard” science fiction. I wasn’t sure exactly what to except, and after just a few chapters I was pleasantly surprised.

A group of 25 male and 25 female scientists are selected to go on an interstellar colonization mission. Their ship, the Lenora Christine, is equipped with an advanced Buzzard engine. This engine is designed to feed off of hydrogen particles in its path while at the same time repelling other particles that would normally tear the ship apart at high velocities. The ship is designed to travel at near the speed of light, and relativity plays a significant role in the plot. After striking a nebulae that was a bit too dense for the Buzzard engine to redirect enough particles, the decelerator was damaged. There was no way to slow down. If they shut the Buzzard engine down to make repairs, they would be killed in minutes without the shielding. (more…)