Omega, Jack McDevitt, Ace Books, 2003
Set about 200 years from now, after mankind has begun to explore the galaxy, this novel is about deadly clouds of energy called omegas. Their purpose seesm to be to wipe out any civilization they encounter. The cloud won't reach Earth for another 900 years, so while research continues into what omegas are all about, it's someone else's problem. It becomes an immediate crisis when a survey ship reports that the cloud has turned, and is heading for a previously unexplored system. It just happens to contain a thriving pre-industrial civilization, and the cloud will arrive in a couple of months.
In many years of diligent searching, mankind has found a number of dead civilizations, but only two live ones, neither of which are interested in Contact with anyone. Saving this civilization suddenly becomes Top Priority. An exploration ship already in the area is able to sneak onto the surface, and the personnel plants many audio and video pickups, beaming language and customs to a ship full of linguists in transit. The ship, in bad need of an overhaul, is pressed into service too early, and breaks down before reaching the planet. A supply ship is able to join the exploration ship, and an attempt is made to fool with the planet's weather, hiding the cities under thick clouds. All other attempts to stop the cloud, or alter its course, fail.
For the humans already in orbit, how do they tell the inhabitants that they must immediately flee their cities? Who do they tell? Will their warnings be believed? How do they do it without violating the Noninterference Doctrine?
This story is well done from beginning to end. As usual with McDevitt, it has good characters, and has few, if any, wasted words. It does a fine job of keeping the reader's attention.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Lest Earth Be Conquered
Lest Earth be Conquered, Frank Belknap Long, Belmont Books, 1966
If aliens were planning to invade Earth, would they send ships full of green-skinned monsters, with guns blazing? Perhaps they would take their time and infiltrate Earth, altered to look and act human, working to undermine Earth from the "inside."
Bobby Jackson looks like your average teenager in Anytown, USA (but he really isn't). He has his suspicions about the Martin's, a married couple that just moved in next door. It's as if they are trying too hard to fit in. He sees Mrs. Martin at the local supermarket, holding a tomato like she has never seen one before in her life. No one knows just what Mr. Martin does for a living. Invited into the house for a glass of lemonade, while staring into Mrs. Martin's eyes, Bobby suddenly finds his consciousness transferred into a neighborhood cat that wandered into the house.
Bobby's intellectual abilities (his IQ is 150, but he doesn't act like a genius) have gotten Mr. Dyson, his teacher, very curious and a little spooked. After an encounter at the town library, where it seems as if Bobby has been telepathically communicating with Laura Hartley, the town librarian, she sees another man in the library re-arrange his face. She was not supposed to see that, so, soon afterwards, she is kidnapped by unseen forces, right through a blank wall. Bobby also talks to a local encyclopedia salesman, who, soon after ringing the doorbell at the Martin's, and hearing things he shouldn't have heard, finds his consciousness switched with that of a local cat.
The focus shifts to a complex of caves on the edge of town, where Bobby brings Mr. Dyson (with help from a telepathic suggestion planted in Mr. Dyson's brain). There they find "the Martin's", along with four other town residents who are not exactly what they seem to be.
This book is surprisingly good. It's a "quiet" tale of alien invasion, with real characters, that does a fine job of keeping the reader's interest.
If aliens were planning to invade Earth, would they send ships full of green-skinned monsters, with guns blazing? Perhaps they would take their time and infiltrate Earth, altered to look and act human, working to undermine Earth from the "inside."
Bobby Jackson looks like your average teenager in Anytown, USA (but he really isn't). He has his suspicions about the Martin's, a married couple that just moved in next door. It's as if they are trying too hard to fit in. He sees Mrs. Martin at the local supermarket, holding a tomato like she has never seen one before in her life. No one knows just what Mr. Martin does for a living. Invited into the house for a glass of lemonade, while staring into Mrs. Martin's eyes, Bobby suddenly finds his consciousness transferred into a neighborhood cat that wandered into the house.
Bobby's intellectual abilities (his IQ is 150, but he doesn't act like a genius) have gotten Mr. Dyson, his teacher, very curious and a little spooked. After an encounter at the town library, where it seems as if Bobby has been telepathically communicating with Laura Hartley, the town librarian, she sees another man in the library re-arrange his face. She was not supposed to see that, so, soon afterwards, she is kidnapped by unseen forces, right through a blank wall. Bobby also talks to a local encyclopedia salesman, who, soon after ringing the doorbell at the Martin's, and hearing things he shouldn't have heard, finds his consciousness switched with that of a local cat.
The focus shifts to a complex of caves on the edge of town, where Bobby brings Mr. Dyson (with help from a telepathic suggestion planted in Mr. Dyson's brain). There they find "the Martin's", along with four other town residents who are not exactly what they seem to be.
This book is surprisingly good. It's a "quiet" tale of alien invasion, with real characters, that does a fine job of keeping the reader's interest.
Between Planets
Between Planets, Robert A. Heinlein, Ace Books, 1951
Don Harvey is a young man living on a ranch in New Mexico. His parents are scientists living in the human colonies on Mars. He receives an urgent message from them, asking him to come to Mars, immediately. He is to stop and see professor Jefferson, a friend of the family, and bring to Mars whatever the Professor gives him. Political tensions are rising between the Earth Federation and the colonies on Venus and Mars. When war inevitably comes, Don's less than clear citizenship (Mom was born on Venus, Dad was born on Earth, and Don was born on a spaceship between planets) could make things very difficult for him.
Carrying a cheap, plastic man's ring (which is all that the professor gave him), Don gets to the orbiting space station to catch a ship to Mars, when it is taken over by rebels. Don is given a choice; go back to Earth, or go to Venus. Returning to Earth is not an option, because the Federation security forces have taken an interest in Don (due to his unclear citizenship), the sort of interest no one wants.
It helps that Don lived for several years on Venus, so he can speak to the indigenous Venusians (multi-eyed dragons). He can't send a message from Venus to Mars to let his parents know he's alright, and his Federation money is worthless, so he gets a job as a dishwasher in a local Chinese restaurant. One day, the Federation invades, and sets most of the town on fire. Don flees, and ends up joining the Venusian army. Weeks later, he finds himself in a palatial mansion, which is also the home of a dragon he met during the trip from Earth. He is facing a man named Phipps, who says he is part of the "organization," and who really wants Don's ring, because of the information carried inside.
This is a young adult novel (as the reader may have guessed), and it's pretty good. It's an interesting story, with a noticeable political subtext, and it's worth reading.
Don Harvey is a young man living on a ranch in New Mexico. His parents are scientists living in the human colonies on Mars. He receives an urgent message from them, asking him to come to Mars, immediately. He is to stop and see professor Jefferson, a friend of the family, and bring to Mars whatever the Professor gives him. Political tensions are rising between the Earth Federation and the colonies on Venus and Mars. When war inevitably comes, Don's less than clear citizenship (Mom was born on Venus, Dad was born on Earth, and Don was born on a spaceship between planets) could make things very difficult for him.
Carrying a cheap, plastic man's ring (which is all that the professor gave him), Don gets to the orbiting space station to catch a ship to Mars, when it is taken over by rebels. Don is given a choice; go back to Earth, or go to Venus. Returning to Earth is not an option, because the Federation security forces have taken an interest in Don (due to his unclear citizenship), the sort of interest no one wants.
It helps that Don lived for several years on Venus, so he can speak to the indigenous Venusians (multi-eyed dragons). He can't send a message from Venus to Mars to let his parents know he's alright, and his Federation money is worthless, so he gets a job as a dishwasher in a local Chinese restaurant. One day, the Federation invades, and sets most of the town on fire. Don flees, and ends up joining the Venusian army. Weeks later, he finds himself in a palatial mansion, which is also the home of a dragon he met during the trip from Earth. He is facing a man named Phipps, who says he is part of the "organization," and who really wants Don's ring, because of the information carried inside.
This is a young adult novel (as the reader may have guessed), and it's pretty good. It's an interesting story, with a noticeable political subtext, and it's worth reading.
Conquest of Earth
Conquest of Earth, Manly Banister, Airmont Books, 1964
In this far-future novel, Earth has never known a time when it was not ruled by the benevolent Trisz. Earth is being turned into a desert, and its oceans are being sucked dry by the Trisz. It's only a matter of time before Earth becomes a dry, lifeless hunk of rock.
The Trisz allow only one planet-wide organization, the Scarlet Order of Men. People begin training as children, and only the best of the best become Men. Those who don't make it become Blue brethren, instructing the people how to be loyal members of society under the Trisz.
Kor Danay is a new member of the Scarlet Order. It's actually a very secret resistance organization. The Trisz can read minds, so absolute care and discretion is vital. Danay also has some unique mental powers, like the ability to temporarily stop time, and to teleport himself from place to place.
The Trisz Extrapolator knew that Danay would cause trouble, so he is arrested and condemned to death on less-than-clear charges. He escapes from an atomic disintegrator, so he and Soma, a woman he met along the way and is also part of the resistance, flee into the mountains. They join "the organization," in their series of deep underground caverns. After several months of being poked and prodded to try to learn just how his brain works, Danay nearly begs for something to do. He and Soma are sent to a faraway planet to check it out as a possible home for Earthlings after Earth officially dies. Everything is great, the planet looks to be perfect, until the Trisz show up.
This is an interesting story that belongs somewhere in that large gray area of pretty Good or Worth Reading.
In this far-future novel, Earth has never known a time when it was not ruled by the benevolent Trisz. Earth is being turned into a desert, and its oceans are being sucked dry by the Trisz. It's only a matter of time before Earth becomes a dry, lifeless hunk of rock.
The Trisz allow only one planet-wide organization, the Scarlet Order of Men. People begin training as children, and only the best of the best become Men. Those who don't make it become Blue brethren, instructing the people how to be loyal members of society under the Trisz.
Kor Danay is a new member of the Scarlet Order. It's actually a very secret resistance organization. The Trisz can read minds, so absolute care and discretion is vital. Danay also has some unique mental powers, like the ability to temporarily stop time, and to teleport himself from place to place.
The Trisz Extrapolator knew that Danay would cause trouble, so he is arrested and condemned to death on less-than-clear charges. He escapes from an atomic disintegrator, so he and Soma, a woman he met along the way and is also part of the resistance, flee into the mountains. They join "the organization," in their series of deep underground caverns. After several months of being poked and prodded to try to learn just how his brain works, Danay nearly begs for something to do. He and Soma are sent to a faraway planet to check it out as a possible home for Earthlings after Earth officially dies. Everything is great, the planet looks to be perfect, until the Trisz show up.
This is an interesting story that belongs somewhere in that large gray area of pretty Good or Worth Reading.
Shoot the Works
Shoot the Works, Brett Halliday, Dell Books, 1957
Miami detective Mike Shayne is spending a quiet night with Lucy, his secretary, in her apartment, when she gets a frantic phone call. Myra Wallace, a good friend of Lucy's, returned home earlier than usual from a trip. She found her husband, Jim, dead on the floor, with a bullet between the eyes. She begs Lucy to come over.
It looks like Jim was packing for a trip (just before his wife was coming home?). A pair of one-way plane tickets to Rio would lead the average person to think that Jim was planning to run away with someone other than his wife. Myra, and Lucy, begs Mike to look into what's going on without involving the police. The police have to get involved, but Mike manages to stay one or two steps ahead.
Wallace was a partner in a local brokerage firm. Of the other two partners, Tomppkins is a bachelor with an eye for the ladies, who thinks of Shayne as some sort of barbarian, while Martin is the senior partner. In his investigation, Shayne meets up with a couple of women of, shall we say, questionable morals, one of whom, Lola, was in a relationship with Tompkins. A witness reports seeing Wallace in a local bar with Lola a few days previously. The obvious implication is that Lola was going to use the other plane ticket to Rio. Actually, Wallace was offering her money to stay out of Tompkins' life, once and for all. A few hours later, Lola is dead. Suspicion falls on Tompkins, maybe because Wallace was supposedly "interested" in Lola.
I don't read a lot of mysteries, but this one was pretty good. The reader can easily see this as a black and white film noir, starring someone like Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum. It's worth reading.
Miami detective Mike Shayne is spending a quiet night with Lucy, his secretary, in her apartment, when she gets a frantic phone call. Myra Wallace, a good friend of Lucy's, returned home earlier than usual from a trip. She found her husband, Jim, dead on the floor, with a bullet between the eyes. She begs Lucy to come over.
It looks like Jim was packing for a trip (just before his wife was coming home?). A pair of one-way plane tickets to Rio would lead the average person to think that Jim was planning to run away with someone other than his wife. Myra, and Lucy, begs Mike to look into what's going on without involving the police. The police have to get involved, but Mike manages to stay one or two steps ahead.
Wallace was a partner in a local brokerage firm. Of the other two partners, Tomppkins is a bachelor with an eye for the ladies, who thinks of Shayne as some sort of barbarian, while Martin is the senior partner. In his investigation, Shayne meets up with a couple of women of, shall we say, questionable morals, one of whom, Lola, was in a relationship with Tompkins. A witness reports seeing Wallace in a local bar with Lola a few days previously. The obvious implication is that Lola was going to use the other plane ticket to Rio. Actually, Wallace was offering her money to stay out of Tompkins' life, once and for all. A few hours later, Lola is dead. Suspicion falls on Tompkins, maybe because Wallace was supposedly "interested" in Lola.
I don't read a lot of mysteries, but this one was pretty good. The reader can easily see this as a black and white film noir, starring someone like Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum. It's worth reading.
Old Man's War
Old Man's War, John Scalzi, Tor Books, 2005
Mankind has started to spread out in the galaxy, and so have a lot of other races. The available real estate is scarce, which leads to near-constant war for land.
The only way for Americans to get into space is to join the Colonial Defense Force (CDF). They guard human colonies, and go to war over disputed planets. The CDF only takes people who have reached their 75th birthday. A vague promise of being made young again is a pretty strong incentive to sign up. The catch is that joining the CDF is a one-way trip. If you survive your tour of duty, hardly a sure thing, you will spend the rest of your life on some colony planet; returning to Earth is not an option.
John Perry signs up. He just turned 75, his wife, Kathy, died several years previously, and his one adult son lives on his own. On the spaceship taking him, and several hundred others, to basic training on another planet, he learns just what the becoming young part is all about. His consciousness is transferred into a cloned body, in its mid-twenties, made from his own DNA, which was extracted from him several years previously. It's very much of a new and improved body with a green skin color. He also has a computer implanted in his brain, which can talk to him and communicate with anyone else.
After basic training, Perry and his squad travel from planet to planet. Friends die, and new friends are made. During one disastrous operation, Perry crash lands on a planet, and is rescued by. . . his wife. She too is green, but the resemblance is way too close to be a coincidence. She (her name is Jane) is part of the Ghost Brigades, actually clones of dead people. Having no conception of what life is like as a realborn, they are kept far away from the rest of the CDF. Perry is made part of a Ghost Brigades squad, and begins to tell his squadmates what it's like to be married, and to love another person.
Here is an excellent novel. It has space travel, it has weirdness, it has heart and it has a lot of great writing. This is highly recommended.
Mankind has started to spread out in the galaxy, and so have a lot of other races. The available real estate is scarce, which leads to near-constant war for land.
The only way for Americans to get into space is to join the Colonial Defense Force (CDF). They guard human colonies, and go to war over disputed planets. The CDF only takes people who have reached their 75th birthday. A vague promise of being made young again is a pretty strong incentive to sign up. The catch is that joining the CDF is a one-way trip. If you survive your tour of duty, hardly a sure thing, you will spend the rest of your life on some colony planet; returning to Earth is not an option.
John Perry signs up. He just turned 75, his wife, Kathy, died several years previously, and his one adult son lives on his own. On the spaceship taking him, and several hundred others, to basic training on another planet, he learns just what the becoming young part is all about. His consciousness is transferred into a cloned body, in its mid-twenties, made from his own DNA, which was extracted from him several years previously. It's very much of a new and improved body with a green skin color. He also has a computer implanted in his brain, which can talk to him and communicate with anyone else.
After basic training, Perry and his squad travel from planet to planet. Friends die, and new friends are made. During one disastrous operation, Perry crash lands on a planet, and is rescued by. . . his wife. She too is green, but the resemblance is way too close to be a coincidence. She (her name is Jane) is part of the Ghost Brigades, actually clones of dead people. Having no conception of what life is like as a realborn, they are kept far away from the rest of the CDF. Perry is made part of a Ghost Brigades squad, and begins to tell his squadmates what it's like to be married, and to love another person.
Here is an excellent novel. It has space travel, it has weirdness, it has heart and it has a lot of great writing. This is highly recommended.
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Ballad of Beta-2
The Ballad of Beta-2, Samuel R. Delany, Bantam, 1982
Here is the story of mankind's first, and unsuccessful, attempt to colonize another planet.
A dozen slow, multi-generation ships were sent to a distant star system called the Leffer System. Soon afterwards, mankind developed a star drive, so that by the time the ships reached their destination, mankind had been traveling around the galaxy for a hundred years. Of the dozen ships, two arrived empty, and two others never arrived at all. The ships were simply parked in orbit, and abandoned. Beta-2, one of the ships, even has its own ballad. Years later, as a college assignment, Joneny, a young researcher, is sent to find out just what happened.
Several of the supposedly indestructible ships show evidence of huge internal explosions. Some old audio recordings talk of being attacked by some sort of green humanoid that communicates by telepathy. Joneny meets the humanoid's half-human son, who is able to exist slightly outside of time, and live in hard vaccuum with no problem at all. He watches video from the other ships where the inhabitants have physically, and mentally, de-evolved to the level of an early human. "The Norm" is taken very seriously on the ships. If a person was found to be outside physical norms in any way, whether it's being too tall, or left-handed, or having the "wrong" eye color, they were immediately executed. By the end, Joneny understands just what The Ballad of Beta-2 is all about.
This is a short novel, but a very good one. It's an interesting story about how things on a multi-generation ship can go very wrong, and it's worth reading.
Here is the story of mankind's first, and unsuccessful, attempt to colonize another planet.
A dozen slow, multi-generation ships were sent to a distant star system called the Leffer System. Soon afterwards, mankind developed a star drive, so that by the time the ships reached their destination, mankind had been traveling around the galaxy for a hundred years. Of the dozen ships, two arrived empty, and two others never arrived at all. The ships were simply parked in orbit, and abandoned. Beta-2, one of the ships, even has its own ballad. Years later, as a college assignment, Joneny, a young researcher, is sent to find out just what happened.
Several of the supposedly indestructible ships show evidence of huge internal explosions. Some old audio recordings talk of being attacked by some sort of green humanoid that communicates by telepathy. Joneny meets the humanoid's half-human son, who is able to exist slightly outside of time, and live in hard vaccuum with no problem at all. He watches video from the other ships where the inhabitants have physically, and mentally, de-evolved to the level of an early human. "The Norm" is taken very seriously on the ships. If a person was found to be outside physical norms in any way, whether it's being too tall, or left-handed, or having the "wrong" eye color, they were immediately executed. By the end, Joneny understands just what The Ballad of Beta-2 is all about.
This is a short novel, but a very good one. It's an interesting story about how things on a multi-generation ship can go very wrong, and it's worth reading.
The Gentle Giants of Ganymede
The Gentle Giants of Ganymede, James P. Hogan, Del Rey Books, 1978
Continuing the story began in "Inherit the Stars," this is about the discovery of a corpse on the moon, dressed in a red spacesut, that happens to be 50,000 years old. Further research on the corpse, and the items found with it, and further discoveries elsewhere on the Moon, lead to the conclusion that there was a planet, Minerva, between Mars and Jupiter. The planet was dying; a rising level of carbon dioxide would soon render it uninhabitable. Various methods to fix the problem were considered; meantime, two factions on the planet fought a major interplanetary war, which destroyed the planet. Part of it became the asteroid belt, the other part became the planet Pluto. The human discovery of an alien ship under the ice on Ganymede, and at least 25 million years old, leads to human ideas about the solar system and man's origins getting a major overhaul.
One day, the makers of the ship, called Ganymeans (for Ganymede), show up on Ganymede. The humans had unknowingly activated a distress beacon. It is easy to imagine their reaction at being told by the humans that their planet was gone. They had gone to a nearby star to see if it could be artificially made brighter, to combat their carbon dioxide problem. It didn't work; the star went supernova. The propulsion system on their ship was working, but the braking system had failed. They spent 20 years of ship time traveling faster than light, before they could slow down. Meantime, the universe was 25 million years older.
They were homeless, as well as physically and emotionally exhausted. They were welcomed on Ganymede, where they gave human science a huge boost, and were able to repair their ship. They were welcomed to Earth, to stay, if they wished. There was the usual bureaucratic nonsense about what country would host them; the Ganymeans decided to land in Switzerland.
The aliens were totally welcomed, practically as long-lost brothers. As time went on, they traveled all over the world, seeing everything, and speaking with many Earth scientists. After six months, Garuth, the leader of the Ganymeans, announces that they are leaving. The archives mention that a group of Ganymeans traveled to a place called Giants' Star. Admittedly, it is a very remote possibility, but if there is a chance that there are more of their kind at Giants' Star, it must be investigated. That is the official reason for their sudden departure, but it isn't the actual reason.
This book is also heavy on the science, but it is still a very interesting story, not just about the origins of mankind. It's very much worth the time.
Continuing the story began in "Inherit the Stars," this is about the discovery of a corpse on the moon, dressed in a red spacesut, that happens to be 50,000 years old. Further research on the corpse, and the items found with it, and further discoveries elsewhere on the Moon, lead to the conclusion that there was a planet, Minerva, between Mars and Jupiter. The planet was dying; a rising level of carbon dioxide would soon render it uninhabitable. Various methods to fix the problem were considered; meantime, two factions on the planet fought a major interplanetary war, which destroyed the planet. Part of it became the asteroid belt, the other part became the planet Pluto. The human discovery of an alien ship under the ice on Ganymede, and at least 25 million years old, leads to human ideas about the solar system and man's origins getting a major overhaul.
One day, the makers of the ship, called Ganymeans (for Ganymede), show up on Ganymede. The humans had unknowingly activated a distress beacon. It is easy to imagine their reaction at being told by the humans that their planet was gone. They had gone to a nearby star to see if it could be artificially made brighter, to combat their carbon dioxide problem. It didn't work; the star went supernova. The propulsion system on their ship was working, but the braking system had failed. They spent 20 years of ship time traveling faster than light, before they could slow down. Meantime, the universe was 25 million years older.
They were homeless, as well as physically and emotionally exhausted. They were welcomed on Ganymede, where they gave human science a huge boost, and were able to repair their ship. They were welcomed to Earth, to stay, if they wished. There was the usual bureaucratic nonsense about what country would host them; the Ganymeans decided to land in Switzerland.
The aliens were totally welcomed, practically as long-lost brothers. As time went on, they traveled all over the world, seeing everything, and speaking with many Earth scientists. After six months, Garuth, the leader of the Ganymeans, announces that they are leaving. The archives mention that a group of Ganymeans traveled to a place called Giants' Star. Admittedly, it is a very remote possibility, but if there is a chance that there are more of their kind at Giants' Star, it must be investigated. That is the official reason for their sudden departure, but it isn't the actual reason.
This book is also heavy on the science, but it is still a very interesting story, not just about the origins of mankind. It's very much worth the time.
Inherit the Stars
Inherit the Stars, James P. Hogan, Del Rey Books, 1977
In the near future, mankind has started to spread throughout the solar system; among other things, establishing several moon bases. One day, a very old, almost skeletal, corpse is found on the moon dressed in a red spacesuit. Calls to the other bases reveal that no one is reported missing. Things get really interesting when tests on the corpse, nicknamed "Charlie", reveal that it is at least 50,000 years old.
Interest shifts from the moon to Texas, headquarters of the United Nations Space Arm. The world's finest scientists are brought in, and they get a pretty clear idea about Charlie pretty quickly. He was human, or close enough to not make a difference. The next step is to speculate that he came from Earth, that there was a space-faring civilization here during the time of the earliest humans. If that is true, why is there no evidence that such a race ever existed?
While each separate department at UNSA, like linguistics or biology, is busy on their own piece of the puzzle, they aren't talking to each other. A tidbit from one department may be just what some other department needs. Victor Hunt, co-inventor of the Magniscope (the next generation in machines to look inside the human body) is brought in to be that link between departments. He is also good at thinking sideways, getting each department out of their own rigid dogma. Further research shows that the planet Minerva, between Mars and Jupiter, was dying; an ice age was coming. The need to leave turned into a major interplanetary war, with weapons that could vaporize cities in an instant. Things get very interesting with the discovery of a very large alien spaceship, not from Charlie's race, under the ice on Ganymede.
This novel gets pretty heavy on the science, but at least it's easily understandable. Here is a very good and thought-provoking story about the origins of mankind.
In the near future, mankind has started to spread throughout the solar system; among other things, establishing several moon bases. One day, a very old, almost skeletal, corpse is found on the moon dressed in a red spacesuit. Calls to the other bases reveal that no one is reported missing. Things get really interesting when tests on the corpse, nicknamed "Charlie", reveal that it is at least 50,000 years old.
Interest shifts from the moon to Texas, headquarters of the United Nations Space Arm. The world's finest scientists are brought in, and they get a pretty clear idea about Charlie pretty quickly. He was human, or close enough to not make a difference. The next step is to speculate that he came from Earth, that there was a space-faring civilization here during the time of the earliest humans. If that is true, why is there no evidence that such a race ever existed?
While each separate department at UNSA, like linguistics or biology, is busy on their own piece of the puzzle, they aren't talking to each other. A tidbit from one department may be just what some other department needs. Victor Hunt, co-inventor of the Magniscope (the next generation in machines to look inside the human body) is brought in to be that link between departments. He is also good at thinking sideways, getting each department out of their own rigid dogma. Further research shows that the planet Minerva, between Mars and Jupiter, was dying; an ice age was coming. The need to leave turned into a major interplanetary war, with weapons that could vaporize cities in an instant. Things get very interesting with the discovery of a very large alien spaceship, not from Charlie's race, under the ice on Ganymede.
This novel gets pretty heavy on the science, but at least it's easily understandable. Here is a very good and thought-provoking story about the origins of mankind.
The Massacre at El Mozote
The Massacre at El Mozote, Mark Danner, Vintage Books, 1994
This book looks at a forgotten bit of the Cold War in 1980s Central America. In December, 1981, a
US-trained battalion of the army of El Salvador entered the town of El Mozote, and surrounding hamlets,
and systematically murdered everyone; over 700 people were killed.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Salvadoran army was in bad shape. There were numerous examples of guerrillas joining the army to get some military training, then intentionally deserting to join the rebels. The army was poorly-trained and poorly-led, except the US-trained Atlacatl battalion. In late 1981, an army operation was planned in Morazan province (where El Mozote was located) to squeeze the rebels out of the area, once and for all.
El Mozote, a town of evangelicals, barely tolerated the rebels. The townspeople were willing to sell corn
or chickens to the rebels, but, when it came to joining the rebels, the people of El Mozote were not interested. When the rebels got word that the army was coming, they urged the people to head into the jungle until the army left. One of El Mozote's leading citizens said that he was assured, by the army, that the people were safe. The army was interested only in the rebels.
That day, several helicopters full of Atlacatl soldiers landed at El Mozote. The soldiers went from house to house, dragging everyone into the town square, and forcing them to lay flat on the ground. After a couple of hours of interrogation, accompanied by kicks and rifle butts, regarding rebel membership among the
townspeople, the men were taken to the local church, and women and children were taken to one of the houses. The men were taken out of the church, a few at a time, into the nearby jungle, where they were all shot or decapitated. After all the men were dead, the soldiers came for the women and children. The younger women were taken into the jungle and gang-raped, by the soldiers, before being murdered. The small children were thrown into the air, and impaled on bayonets. When it was over, everyone was dead.
When word got out about what had happened, helped by front page stories in the Washington Post and New York Times, the reaction of the Salvadoran army and Reagan Administration was to dismiss the reports as nothing more than enemy propaganda. Congress was in the middle of debating further aid for the Salvadoran government, so the timing of the articles was hardly convenient for the Reagan Administration. A pair of officials from the US Embassy in San Salvador tried to go there to investigate, and got within a mile or two of El Mozote, before being turned back by the army (supposedly, guerrillas were in the area). They couldn't confirm reports of several hundred dead (the people from the area were hardly willing to talk), but it was pretty obvious to them that something huge had happened at El Mozote. The Reagan Administration used inconsistencies in the death toll, and the fact that it was first reported by Radio Venceremos, the rebel's radio station, as "proof" that it was not as bad as reported. The army said that there was a major gun battle with the rebels in El Mozote (untrue), so some townspeople got killed, but nowhere the reported number of several hundred. Was this massacre big enough to get the US Congress to reduce, or eliminate, funding for the Salvadoran military to continue their war against the people? No one in Washington wanted to "lose" El Salvador the same way that China was "lost" after World War II.
This is a first rate piece of investigative journalism. It contains nearly 100 pages of US Government
documents about what happened to El Mozote. This may seem like an "old" book, but to bring a forgotten bit of the Cold War back into the collective memory, it is very much recommended.
This book looks at a forgotten bit of the Cold War in 1980s Central America. In December, 1981, a
US-trained battalion of the army of El Salvador entered the town of El Mozote, and surrounding hamlets,
and systematically murdered everyone; over 700 people were killed.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Salvadoran army was in bad shape. There were numerous examples of guerrillas joining the army to get some military training, then intentionally deserting to join the rebels. The army was poorly-trained and poorly-led, except the US-trained Atlacatl battalion. In late 1981, an army operation was planned in Morazan province (where El Mozote was located) to squeeze the rebels out of the area, once and for all.
El Mozote, a town of evangelicals, barely tolerated the rebels. The townspeople were willing to sell corn
or chickens to the rebels, but, when it came to joining the rebels, the people of El Mozote were not interested. When the rebels got word that the army was coming, they urged the people to head into the jungle until the army left. One of El Mozote's leading citizens said that he was assured, by the army, that the people were safe. The army was interested only in the rebels.
That day, several helicopters full of Atlacatl soldiers landed at El Mozote. The soldiers went from house to house, dragging everyone into the town square, and forcing them to lay flat on the ground. After a couple of hours of interrogation, accompanied by kicks and rifle butts, regarding rebel membership among the
townspeople, the men were taken to the local church, and women and children were taken to one of the houses. The men were taken out of the church, a few at a time, into the nearby jungle, where they were all shot or decapitated. After all the men were dead, the soldiers came for the women and children. The younger women were taken into the jungle and gang-raped, by the soldiers, before being murdered. The small children were thrown into the air, and impaled on bayonets. When it was over, everyone was dead.
When word got out about what had happened, helped by front page stories in the Washington Post and New York Times, the reaction of the Salvadoran army and Reagan Administration was to dismiss the reports as nothing more than enemy propaganda. Congress was in the middle of debating further aid for the Salvadoran government, so the timing of the articles was hardly convenient for the Reagan Administration. A pair of officials from the US Embassy in San Salvador tried to go there to investigate, and got within a mile or two of El Mozote, before being turned back by the army (supposedly, guerrillas were in the area). They couldn't confirm reports of several hundred dead (the people from the area were hardly willing to talk), but it was pretty obvious to them that something huge had happened at El Mozote. The Reagan Administration used inconsistencies in the death toll, and the fact that it was first reported by Radio Venceremos, the rebel's radio station, as "proof" that it was not as bad as reported. The army said that there was a major gun battle with the rebels in El Mozote (untrue), so some townspeople got killed, but nowhere the reported number of several hundred. Was this massacre big enough to get the US Congress to reduce, or eliminate, funding for the Salvadoran military to continue their war against the people? No one in Washington wanted to "lose" El Salvador the same way that China was "lost" after World War II.
This is a first rate piece of investigative journalism. It contains nearly 100 pages of US Government
documents about what happened to El Mozote. This may seem like an "old" book, but to bring a forgotten bit of the Cold War back into the collective memory, it is very much recommended.
Broken Glass Park
Broken Glass Park, Alina Bronsky, Europa Editions, 2010
Set in present-day Germany, this novel is about 17-year-old Sacha Naimann, born in Russia, and living in a Berlin housing project with her two younger siblings. Her mother was also living with them, until she was murdered by Vadim, her stepfather.
Sacha, a brilliant but uninspired student at the local Catholic school, has two desires in life. The first is to write a book about her mother, and the second is to kill Vadim. He is currently serving a long prison sentence, but she is happy to wait. A puff piece in the local newspaper about Vadim's alleged rehabilitation sends an upset Sacha to meet Volker, the editor. He briefly knew Sacha's mother, so he attempts to help out by taking in Sacha for a while. That starts an intense involvement with his teenage son, who has to be rushed to the local hospital with a severe breathing problem. Meantime, Maria, Vadim's cousin from Russia, has come to take care of the children, because social workers are getting interested.
When that relationship fades, Sacha returns to Broken Glass Park, the tough housing project where they all live. Sacha is more interested in killing Vadim than in moving out of the project. She tells her story in a voice that is both candid, and childlike and mature. Bronsky looks inside the immigrant experience, and being on the edges of society, and what it means to live in the first years of a new century.
First published in Germany, this book made a big splash, and quite rightly, too. Bronsky, a Russian living in Germany, about whom little is known, has a wonderful "voice." She does a fine job at portraying a young woman in a strange country. This one is highly recommended.
Set in present-day Germany, this novel is about 17-year-old Sacha Naimann, born in Russia, and living in a Berlin housing project with her two younger siblings. Her mother was also living with them, until she was murdered by Vadim, her stepfather.
Sacha, a brilliant but uninspired student at the local Catholic school, has two desires in life. The first is to write a book about her mother, and the second is to kill Vadim. He is currently serving a long prison sentence, but she is happy to wait. A puff piece in the local newspaper about Vadim's alleged rehabilitation sends an upset Sacha to meet Volker, the editor. He briefly knew Sacha's mother, so he attempts to help out by taking in Sacha for a while. That starts an intense involvement with his teenage son, who has to be rushed to the local hospital with a severe breathing problem. Meantime, Maria, Vadim's cousin from Russia, has come to take care of the children, because social workers are getting interested.
When that relationship fades, Sacha returns to Broken Glass Park, the tough housing project where they all live. Sacha is more interested in killing Vadim than in moving out of the project. She tells her story in a voice that is both candid, and childlike and mature. Bronsky looks inside the immigrant experience, and being on the edges of society, and what it means to live in the first years of a new century.
First published in Germany, this book made a big splash, and quite rightly, too. Bronsky, a Russian living in Germany, about whom little is known, has a wonderful "voice." She does a fine job at portraying a young woman in a strange country. This one is highly recommended.
Side Effects: Death, Confessions of a Pharma Insider
Side Effects: Death, Confessions of a Pharma Insider, John Virapen, Virtualbookworm Publishing, 2010
This book, written by a pharmaceutical industry insider, exposes many of the secrets that led to drugs with major side effects, like Prozac, to be approved and widely prescribed.
Born in Guyana (northeast South America) to Indian parents, Virapen found himself, in the 1960s, in Europe, hungry and homeless. He went to Sweden, to live with a woman he met in his travels. It was there that he got a job as a sales representative for Eli Lilly and Co. He visited local physicians, bringing them small gifts and other things and generally encouraging them to prescribe Eli Lilly drugs. He rose quickly through the ranks, eventually running the entire operation in Sweden. Virapen was very involved in getting drugs like Prozac approved, with a corresponding rise in the gifts given to doctors. They now ranged from expensive "scientific conferences" in exotic places to brothel visits, to outright bribery. This book is an attempt to atone for what he has done in the drug industry.
Virapen spends much of the book talking about Prozac. The drug industry has no problems with creating "diseases" like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), to get otherwise healthy people to think that they are sick, and need a pill (an expensive pill, of course). If a clinical trial is not going well; for instance, if Drug X works just as well as Prozac, a drug company can stop the trial, and switch Drug X with another drug against which Prozac works really well. There is no obligation to tell the Food and Drug Administration, or any of its foreign counterparts, about this. Clinical trials on psychotropic drugs, like Prozac, last a couple of months, at the most. There has been no attempt to study the effects of such drugs over years.
When it came time to get Prozac approved in Sweden, the information supplied by Eli Lilly was to be evaluated by an independent doctor, who would send his recommendation to the national authorities. Virapen's job was to figure out who that doctor would be and find out what it would take to get that doctor to give a favorable opinion. Unfortunately, that doctor was very willing to be bribed, even helping Eli Lilly to write the report the "right" way. Virapen mentions case after case of normal, well-adjusted people who, after taking Prozac for a very short time, kill other people or themselves.
On the positive side, this is a very interesting book that shows the lengths to which drug companies will go to create new markets for their drugs. On the negative side, if there are to be future printings of this book, it really needs a trip, or another trip, to a copyeditor or proofreader.
This book, written by a pharmaceutical industry insider, exposes many of the secrets that led to drugs with major side effects, like Prozac, to be approved and widely prescribed.
Born in Guyana (northeast South America) to Indian parents, Virapen found himself, in the 1960s, in Europe, hungry and homeless. He went to Sweden, to live with a woman he met in his travels. It was there that he got a job as a sales representative for Eli Lilly and Co. He visited local physicians, bringing them small gifts and other things and generally encouraging them to prescribe Eli Lilly drugs. He rose quickly through the ranks, eventually running the entire operation in Sweden. Virapen was very involved in getting drugs like Prozac approved, with a corresponding rise in the gifts given to doctors. They now ranged from expensive "scientific conferences" in exotic places to brothel visits, to outright bribery. This book is an attempt to atone for what he has done in the drug industry.
Virapen spends much of the book talking about Prozac. The drug industry has no problems with creating "diseases" like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), to get otherwise healthy people to think that they are sick, and need a pill (an expensive pill, of course). If a clinical trial is not going well; for instance, if Drug X works just as well as Prozac, a drug company can stop the trial, and switch Drug X with another drug against which Prozac works really well. There is no obligation to tell the Food and Drug Administration, or any of its foreign counterparts, about this. Clinical trials on psychotropic drugs, like Prozac, last a couple of months, at the most. There has been no attempt to study the effects of such drugs over years.
When it came time to get Prozac approved in Sweden, the information supplied by Eli Lilly was to be evaluated by an independent doctor, who would send his recommendation to the national authorities. Virapen's job was to figure out who that doctor would be and find out what it would take to get that doctor to give a favorable opinion. Unfortunately, that doctor was very willing to be bribed, even helping Eli Lilly to write the report the "right" way. Virapen mentions case after case of normal, well-adjusted people who, after taking Prozac for a very short time, kill other people or themselves.
On the positive side, this is a very interesting book that shows the lengths to which drug companies will go to create new markets for their drugs. On the negative side, if there are to be future printings of this book, it really needs a trip, or another trip, to a copyeditor or proofreader.
Why Do You Kill? The Untold Story of the Iraqi Resistance
Why Do You Kill? The Untold Story of the Iraqi Resistance, Jurgen Todenhofer, The Disinformation Company Ltd., 2009
This book looks inside the Iraqi resistance and shows how it is not only fighting the American occupiers, but also Al-Qaeda terrorists and the various private militias.
A person can argue about the conduct of the war in Iraq, how well or how badly it was executed, and whether or not waterboarding is torture, etc. The central premise, that we are guided by noble desires, to help Iraqis enjoy the fruits of democracy, can not be questioned. Supposedly, Arabs are not ready for Western-style democracy. Opinion poll after opinion poll, including those done by US officials in Iraq, show that large majorities of Iraqis want US troops to leave, fully and immediately.
If a US ally was invaded and occupied by another country under false premises, and the invaders were unwanted by the local population, don't they have the right to resist that occupation? Unquestionably, the answer is Yes; such a person would be hailed as a freedom fighter. But, when America or an ally does the occupying, there is no legitimate resistance. Freedom Fighter automatically equals Terrorist.
The author entered Iraq through Syria in 2007, intentionally without the knowledge or consent of American authorities. He wanted to avoid the Green Zone in Baghdad, Potemkin (fake) villages set up by the American military and talking to "approved" Iraqis. He was able to meet with, and stay with, many Iraqis who told him exactly why they joined the resistance.
A central principle of Islam is to never kill innocent people. That is the difference between resistance fighters and terrorists. Every family has lost someone during the occupation, some arrested and never to be heard from again. To the assertion that civil war will erupt if American troops leave; like that is so much worse than what is going on when this book was written (2007). If the American troops left, the Iraqi resistance could easily get rid of Al-Qaeda on its own. Early in the occupation, American troops in Fallujah fired on a peaceful demonstration of Iraqis upset that the troops had taken over a local school, killing 15 and injuring 65. American General Geoffrey Miller has been quoted as saying that Iraqi prisoners should never be allowed to think that they are anything "more than a dog." After a bomb blast in Baghdad, an imam asked for blood donations over the mosque's loudspeaker. The American response was to bomb the mosque, and shoot the imam. The reason given was that that district supported the resistance.
This is an excellent piece of journalism of the type rarely seen in America these days. It easily reaches the level of Wow.
This book looks inside the Iraqi resistance and shows how it is not only fighting the American occupiers, but also Al-Qaeda terrorists and the various private militias.
A person can argue about the conduct of the war in Iraq, how well or how badly it was executed, and whether or not waterboarding is torture, etc. The central premise, that we are guided by noble desires, to help Iraqis enjoy the fruits of democracy, can not be questioned. Supposedly, Arabs are not ready for Western-style democracy. Opinion poll after opinion poll, including those done by US officials in Iraq, show that large majorities of Iraqis want US troops to leave, fully and immediately.
If a US ally was invaded and occupied by another country under false premises, and the invaders were unwanted by the local population, don't they have the right to resist that occupation? Unquestionably, the answer is Yes; such a person would be hailed as a freedom fighter. But, when America or an ally does the occupying, there is no legitimate resistance. Freedom Fighter automatically equals Terrorist.
The author entered Iraq through Syria in 2007, intentionally without the knowledge or consent of American authorities. He wanted to avoid the Green Zone in Baghdad, Potemkin (fake) villages set up by the American military and talking to "approved" Iraqis. He was able to meet with, and stay with, many Iraqis who told him exactly why they joined the resistance.
A central principle of Islam is to never kill innocent people. That is the difference between resistance fighters and terrorists. Every family has lost someone during the occupation, some arrested and never to be heard from again. To the assertion that civil war will erupt if American troops leave; like that is so much worse than what is going on when this book was written (2007). If the American troops left, the Iraqi resistance could easily get rid of Al-Qaeda on its own. Early in the occupation, American troops in Fallujah fired on a peaceful demonstration of Iraqis upset that the troops had taken over a local school, killing 15 and injuring 65. American General Geoffrey Miller has been quoted as saying that Iraqi prisoners should never be allowed to think that they are anything "more than a dog." After a bomb blast in Baghdad, an imam asked for blood donations over the mosque's loudspeaker. The American response was to bomb the mosque, and shoot the imam. The reason given was that that district supported the resistance.
This is an excellent piece of journalism of the type rarely seen in America these days. It easily reaches the level of Wow.
Walking Man
Walking Man, Tim W. Brown, Bronx River Press, 2008
Written as one of those celebrity tell-all biographies, this novel is about Brian Walker, publisher of the zine Walking Man.
Set in Chicago of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Brian seems to have a genetic need to walk everywhere, which he writes about in his zine. He works in the copy room of a downtown law firm, which is a godsend for any zine publisher. He is friends with Tracy Minister, a gorgeous woman who is temping at the firm while she pursues her dream of becoming an actress.
One day, while crossing a downtown street, Brian is already in the crosswalk, when a BMW tries to drive between him and another man also in the crosswalk. In an instinctive reaction, Brian kicks the BMW and dents it. Both men are arrested, then released, and the BMW driver sues Brian for damages. As the case waits for its turn in court, Brian becomes an ardent defender of pedestrian's rights, and a national celebrity.
He goes on a national lecture tour, causing the law firm to terminate his employment. Speaking at college campuses, he gets a positive reception, and sells lots of copies of his zine. Later, Brian travels to a national zine conference in San Francisco, where he also gets a generally positive reception. The exception is when another zine publisher publicly accuses Brian of selling out zinedom's guerrilla, do-it-yourself philosophy. Because of Brian's fame, he can no longer keep up with the demand for Walking Man. It is now printed by a printing company, the cover is 4-color glossy paper, and there is a (gasp) bar code on the back (the mark of the Antichrist in the zine world).
Meantime, Tracy has gotten an acting job. It's in a local production, and it requires her to be naked on stage. That lasts for a few months, then she gets a job as a Production Assistant on a local TV talk show. Brian freaks out, accusing Tracy of being a sellout; they don't see each other for a while. Does Brian stand up for pedestrian's rights by winning his court case (which finally sees the light of day)? Do he and Tracy get back together, and ride off into the proverbial sunset?
Here is a really interesting look inside zine culture; anyone who has ever published a zine will enjoy it. It's also a good story of an average person suddenly thrust into the spotlight.
Written as one of those celebrity tell-all biographies, this novel is about Brian Walker, publisher of the zine Walking Man.
Set in Chicago of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Brian seems to have a genetic need to walk everywhere, which he writes about in his zine. He works in the copy room of a downtown law firm, which is a godsend for any zine publisher. He is friends with Tracy Minister, a gorgeous woman who is temping at the firm while she pursues her dream of becoming an actress.
One day, while crossing a downtown street, Brian is already in the crosswalk, when a BMW tries to drive between him and another man also in the crosswalk. In an instinctive reaction, Brian kicks the BMW and dents it. Both men are arrested, then released, and the BMW driver sues Brian for damages. As the case waits for its turn in court, Brian becomes an ardent defender of pedestrian's rights, and a national celebrity.
He goes on a national lecture tour, causing the law firm to terminate his employment. Speaking at college campuses, he gets a positive reception, and sells lots of copies of his zine. Later, Brian travels to a national zine conference in San Francisco, where he also gets a generally positive reception. The exception is when another zine publisher publicly accuses Brian of selling out zinedom's guerrilla, do-it-yourself philosophy. Because of Brian's fame, he can no longer keep up with the demand for Walking Man. It is now printed by a printing company, the cover is 4-color glossy paper, and there is a (gasp) bar code on the back (the mark of the Antichrist in the zine world).
Meantime, Tracy has gotten an acting job. It's in a local production, and it requires her to be naked on stage. That lasts for a few months, then she gets a job as a Production Assistant on a local TV talk show. Brian freaks out, accusing Tracy of being a sellout; they don't see each other for a while. Does Brian stand up for pedestrian's rights by winning his court case (which finally sees the light of day)? Do he and Tracy get back together, and ride off into the proverbial sunset?
Here is a really interesting look inside zine culture; anyone who has ever published a zine will enjoy it. It's also a good story of an average person suddenly thrust into the spotlight.
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