Category Archives: Reviews

The Great Explosion

Posted on June 25, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Great Explosion© 1962 Eric Frank Russell187 pages Following the discovery of faster-than-light travel, Earth’s population fell by half as her children fled to the stars.  After decades of benign neglect, the powers that be on Earth — the military … Continue reading →

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The Fountainhead

Posted on June 22, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Fountainhead © 1943 Ayn Rand 753 pages “Howard Roark laughed.”   This epic novel opens with the roar of its main character, leading the reader to wonder what is to come. Is he laughing in triumph? In fatalistic glee, … Continue reading →

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Infinity’s Prism

Posted on June 20, 2017 by smellincoffee

Star Trek Myriad Universes, Vol 1: Infinity’s Prism© 2008 William Leisner, Christopher L. Bennett, and James Swallow527 pages What if….Khan won the Eugenics Wars? What if….Earth had succumbed to fear after the Xindi attack, and withdrawn from the Coalition of … Continue reading →

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Masters of Doom

Posted on June 18, 2017 by smellincoffee

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture © 2004 David Kushner, Audible presentation read by Wil Wheaton, runtime 12 hours & 43 minutes 334 pages I wasn’t playing PC games  in the early nineties … Continue reading →

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Fahrenheit 451

Posted on June 17, 2017 by smellincoffee

Fahrenheit 451© 1953 Ray Bradbury158 pages Like 1984, I suspect Fahrenheit 451 is famous enough that its basic details have seeped into the cultural consciousness of people who have never read it. Here we have a fireman whose job is … Continue reading →

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I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did

Posted on June 16, 2017 by smellincoffee

I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy© 2013 Lori Andrews272 pages Think about what you put on facebook. If you’re like most people,  there is something in your photos, comments, … Continue reading →

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Revolutionary Summer – Independence Kickoff

Posted on June 16, 2017 by smellincoffee

288 pages © 2014 Joseph J. Ellis Earlier in the week I read Joseph Ellis’ Revolutionary Summer to kick off my yearly tribute to American Independence.   Ellis should be familiar to readers here, as I enjoy his narrative histories … Continue reading →

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Baghdad without a Map

Posted on June 14, 2017 by smellincoffee

Baghdad without a Map and Other Adventures in Arabia© 1992 Tony Horowitz285 pages So your wife is on extended assignment in Cairo, and you’re a freelance journalist without a regular gig. What do you do? Why not wander around northern … Continue reading →

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The Martian Chronicles

Posted on June 13, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Martian Chronicles © 1950 Ray Bradbury 222 pages As the 1940s began giving way to the 1950s, Ray Bradbury began penning a series of stories about the future human exploration of Mars — stories that he thought of as … Continue reading →

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CYBERPUNK

Posted on June 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

CYBERPUNK: Hackers and Outlaws on the Computer Frontier© 1991 Katie Hafner400 pages Cyberpunk takes readers back to the early days of hacking, when it was so old-school that computers weren’t involved. Using three case  in the United States and western … Continue reading →

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