Wednesday, May 30, 2007

What I'm Reading Now (You Pick The Subject)

I got quite a response from readers concerning today's "You Pick The Topic Day"

I am going to post more than once today, in hopes of talking about some of the things that were bought up, but first, we have a description of what I am reading now.


I am sure that many of you know that I am a big science fiction geek. Those that didn't, well.... I am.

Sue me.

The book I am reading now is the third in a trilogy by prolific Canadian author
Robert J. Sawyer, who is a new discovery for me, and I am so glad that I found him.

The book is called "Hybrids", which followed "Hominids", and "Humans".

The name of the trilogy is: "The Neanderthal Parallax", and although it isn't what anyone would call "hard" science fiction, it is certainly enjoyable.

The thrust of the trilogy is that about 40,000 years ago modern humans and neanderthals were coexisting in parts of the world, when there was a "great awakening" of awareness in modern humans. Naturally, in our way, modern humans wiped out the competing neanderthals, and we became top dogs on earth (HEY! WAKE UP! YOU ASKED FOR THIS, REMEMBER??).

Fast forward to today, and in a Canadian research laboratory located in a nickel mine in Ontario, Physicists are conducting and experiment using heavy water. The experiment seems to go awry and a man appears in the tank. Not just any man, but a living, breathing, Neanderthal man, named Ponter Boddit.

As it turns out, Ponter Boddit is a Physicist from a parallel universe, who was doing a quantum computing experiment in a mine in the exact same place, at the exact same time.

Many adventures ensue, and eventually, Ponter meets and falls in love with Canadian Geneticist Mary Vaughn.

I am halfway through the last book, and am thoroughly enjoying it. Sawyers writing is clean and not the least bit ponderous.

If you are a science fiction reader, give it a try. It won't take terribly long, and you'll probably enjoy it.

Cheers,

GF

PS: Mad props to Paige for giving me the topic.

6 comments:

super des said...

I love good sci-fi but I never know what to read because there is a lot of crap out there. I'll have to check this out.

Gunfighter said...

Des,

You can also try pretty much anything by David Weber. A good place to start is the Honor Harrington novels... of which there are about 15.

The Honor Harrington novels are essentially the retelling of the Horation Hornblower stories, set in space, with a female Captain. As a matter of fact, I started reading Honor Harrington BEFORE I read the Hornblower series.

Melanie said...

Ohhh thanks for the suggested authors!! I to am always looking for a good read. When I actually have time to read that is!!

Lawyer Mama said...

Interesting! I'll have to check it out.

Paige said...

Glad to be of service! :)

I'm not a sci-fi reader but my husband is. I passed along your recomendation to him. He's currently reading Peter F. Hamilton, The Naked God and seems to dig it. Maybe you should check that out.

I took a piece of my own advice and put up a book review on my own blog if anyone's interested.

Kavalec said...

I skipped this blog entry to avoid spoilers; I've only read the first two!

Sawyer is definately good reading.