While the bulk of his written work was general fiction and commentary, Herbert George Wells is remembered today along with Jules Verne as one of the fathers of modern science fiction. I first encountered his work somewhat secondhand, as part of the script for the Orson Welles version of War of the Worlds; this was published in a marvelous anthology called simply Contact!, a collection of "first contact" stories (humanity's initial encounter with alien intelligences). It was many years later that I was looking [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: Chapter 6
January 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Our castaways were working on getting things working... Chapter 6. "I'm not seeing much of a lightshow," Joe observed as he watched A.J. hard at work. Of course the "hard at work" was more conceptual than actual; much of A.J.'s work looked more like a man reclining in one of Munin's pilot chairs, wearing a pair of reflective sunglasses and waving his gloved hands semi-aimlessly in the air in front of him. "Give this iceball a decent atmosphere and you'd be seeing a pretty good one," A.J. [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: Chapter 5
January 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Let's check back on what's going on at home. Or at least a few hundred million miles closer to home... Chapter 5. Nicholas checked himself in the camera-eye view once more. Every stitch in place, every line correct. And my hair going mostly white, I have to admit, has added an extra soupçon of dignity to my appearance. He also checked the VRD display, making sure the "augmented reality" display of his announcement would allow him to focus on the attendees while still able to see the [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: Chapter 4
January 16, 2013 By 2 Comments
Our heroes seemed to have things well in hand, but there are things they don't know... Chapter 4. I am the only living thing within hundreds of millions of kilometers, thought General Alberich Hohenheim. The thought was not, he admitted to himself (there being no one else to admit it to) strictly true. There were undoubtedly a number of bacteria, possibly fungal spores and such, still living on the remains of the giant mass-drive vessel Odin, and there was the possibility that the water-oceans [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: Chapter 3
January 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The most immediate danger had been dealt with -- now comes some more long-term planning! Chapter 3. "All right," Madeline Fathom said, her voice just slightly amplified by the walls of the common room of Munin. "Now that we're all reasonably safe for the next few days, we need to evaluate the entire situation and come up with a real schedule of action." "Were you able to contact Dr. Glendale, Madeline?" Horst Eberhart asked. "I was. He relayed a quick acknowledgement of our message [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: Chapter 2
January 11, 2013 By 3 Comments
We now begin regular snippeting! Look for new chapters on the usual days (M-W-F) until the eARC comes out! Chapter 2. "Pull – gently, dammit, smoothly, don't jerk!" A.J. couldn't keep the tense exasperation from his voice as he barely reacted in time, commanding one of the three autonomous "Locust" drones, Hopper, to ease the tension on the all-too-vital cable. "No need to snap," Dan Ritter said mildly. The dark-haired former environmental systems tech for Odin spoke English with only a trace of his [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: The Count of Monte-Cristo
January 7, 2013 By 3 Comments
There is perhaps no more famous account of love, betrayal, and revenge in literature than The Count of Monte-Cristo by Dumas. I first encountered the story in my mid-teens and was instantly captured by it. The basis of the story is simple: young Edmond Dantes is a sailor with a bright future – soon to be made Captain of a profitable merchantman, engaged to Mercedes, a Catalan girl noted for her beauty, having just completed an extremely profitable trading voyage for his employer, Morrel. It seems that he has already reached his [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Clive Cussler’s “Dirk Pitt” series
December 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In the late 70s, I was wandering the stacks of our local library and came across a book with a dramatic title: Raise the Titanic! I had – like many other people – something of a fascination with the Titanic, so this, along with the cover showing the huge liner rising from the deeps, grabbed my attention. This was the first novel of the genre "techno-thriller" I remember reading; it's possible I read one such earlier, but I can't say for sure. What I can say is that Raise the Titanic grabbed me and held me riveted [ Continue reading... ]
Under the Influence: Nero Wolfe
December 28, 2012 By 7 Comments
In a timeless brownstone in New York City, on West 35th Street, there lives a very unusual man. He is moody, arbitrary, arrogant, quite rotund (over 300 pounds) and highly eccentric. He is also the best detective in the world ("Probably not. The best detective in the world may be a rude tribesman with a limited vocabulary.") – all right, one of the finest private detectives in the world… if you can afford him. He's expensive; has to be, as his fees must support his world-class gourmet lifestyle and the upkeep for the brownstone, his [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: First Chapter Teaser
December 26, 2012 By 12 Comments
Portal will be coming out in May, 2013. Some time before that, the eARC will become available. Thus, the full-bore snippeting will begin not TOO long from now. I thought I'd give you a first taste! PORTAL By Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor Recovery, N: 1. the act or process of returning to a normal condition, especially from sickness, a shock, or a setback; recuperation 2. restoration to a former or better condition 3. the regaining of something lost 4. the extraction of something useful from materials or a [ Continue reading... ]
What You’re Saying