Thumbing Through Yesterday

The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle is a first-contact novel by two masters of scifi. There's a lot to appreciate when two such skilled authors collaborate!

Harry Harrison's The Stainless Steel Rat is an old favorite of Tony's, and a forgotten pleasure of Tom's as well. The adventures of "Slippery Jim" deGriz make for wonderfully fun reading! We were both glad to have revisited this old friend.

Thieves World is a shared-world anthology edited by Robert Lynn Asprin. This book is a collection of short stories by assorted authors, each exploring their own interpretations of the same world and same characters. Does it work? Join us to find out!

The Girl of the Sea of Cortez by Peter Benchley is a favorite of Tony's and a first-read for Tom. This is a wonderful adventure that manages to bring together threads about a young woman's coming of age, life in a broken family, and ecologically sound stewardship of the ocean. 

Jack London's White Fang has long been a favorite of Tom's, and a fondly-remembered story of Tony's as well. We revisit this childhood classic. Will it hold up? Have the years been kind or harsh to the story? What does White Fang have to say to us today? Tune in and find out!

Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack Chalker holds a fond place in Tony's memories. A first read for Tom, this is one of those books that proves a book doesn't have to be good to be a favorite!

Marking the start of our second year, we return to Robert E. Henlein, a grand master of science fiction and favorite of us both. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is Tom's pick this time. Join Mike, the first sentient AI, and his best friend Mann, as they discuss jokes, solve problems, start a revolution, and ultimately lead the lunar colonies to independence from Earth.

It's been almost a year since we visited the works of Douglas Adams, and now we return with one of Tony's favorites: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Ghosts, aliens, time travel, mischevious professors, and a very patient horse are woven together as only Adams can. It's a comedy mystery scifi smorgasdbord! 

If you've only seen the movie, you have no idea how much of a treat awaits you in the book! The Princess Bride by William Goldman does tell the story of Buttercup, Westley, and all your favorite characters, but it also tells of the struggles that Goldman went through to translate S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure from the original Florinese. The meta framework is possibly more entertaining than the story as you've seen it!

Hearts in Atlantis is a Stephen King novella lifted from the midst of a collection by the same name. Set in the era of the Vietnam war, this very un-King-like story follows a group of college freshmen who risk their grades, enrollment, and even the draft in pursuit of a hearts tournament run amok.