Dune (Book Awards Challenge II #10 of 10)

I can see why this is a science fiction classic. This Hugo Award winning novel by Frank Herbert is possibly the best-selling science fiction book in history. Paul, the son of Duke Leto Atreides and his concubine Jessica is at the heart of this story set thousands of years in the future. The Atreides family has moved to a desert planet called Arrakis at the request of Emperor Shaddam IV. Arrakis had been ruled by the Harkonnen family which oppressed and enslaved the native population, the Freman, in order to extract "spice" from the desert. Spice is an addictive drug created by the life cycle of the gigantic and deadly sandworms that live in the desert and is incredibly valuable off planet. Through both the subtle and the violent interplay between religion, politics, and family, Paul rises from the Duke's heir to a prophet and powerful leader.

Dune is a heavy book and it took me a bit to really get into the characters. And I am not sure I would continue to read other books in the series. However, the plot moved along well and the desert world of Arrakis was fascinating with its massive worms and native people who have figured out how to conserve every drop of moisture. I appreciated the glossaries at the end which explained the nuances of the language and culture.

Seeker (Book Awards II Challenge #5 of 10)

Jack McDevitt's Nebula Award winning novel, the sequel to the also popular Polaris (which I have not read) is one of the first non-YA science fiction novels I've read in a long long time. And it was pretty fun. Chase (a female) and her partner Alex deal in antiques that they've basically looted from abandoned spaceships. When they find a 9000 year old cup which is linked to an almost mythological planet called Margolia, they embark on a mission to find it and the spaceship Seeker which brought colonists from earth thousands of years earlier. But not everyone is thrilled with the idea of making money off of antiquities...and some are willing to do more than just seethe at Alex and Chase's business ventures.

I have to say I was worried about getting into this book. It's just been a long time since I've done some real sci-fi but the characters were well drawn and the plot moved quickly. I hadn't read the first book but the story still made sense. I have a few more science fiction on my Awards Challenge list and I'm remembering that once upon a time I really did like this genre.

The Host

A ah, Stephenie Meyer. I admit the cover of this book gives me the willies but off goes the dust jacket and viola! so that worked out well for me.

Melanie's body has been abducted by aliens...in the most literal sense. The Wanderer, a "soul" which apparently looks like a large silver centipede, had been inserted into melanie, her host. Melanie is supposed to fade away but she refuses to let the wanderer, who becomes known as wanda, to force her out of existance.

Melanie is obsessed with finding her brother Jamie and her boyfriend Jared who have managed to remain human through the aliens have subdued nearly the entire human race. As the Wanderer sees Melanie's memories and intereacts with her in their shared head, they decide to try to find Jamie and Jared.

I was rather intrigued with the story from the first chapter...I don't read a lot of alien-y science fiction but the characteristics that the aliens have make them an interesting species - they are, on the whole, non-violent. They seem to geniuinely care for each other. They also have no sense that they are doing anything wrong - most of the other planets they lived on had hosts that put up very little resistance to being used as hosts. They have incredibly advanced medicine. They don't seem like bad...people. But at the same time, they robbed humans of their bodies and their minds.

Iwas not as satisfied with the romance in the story as I had hoped, but resolving the love "square" that develops was very interesting. Ihave to admit,I couldn't put it down.

larklight (ya challenge #4)

i heard mixed reviews about phillip reeve's larklight before i read it and could see for sure how it's a sort of love/hate book...though i have to say i was right about lukewarm for it. art and his sister myrtle (young teenagers) live with their father (their mother is dead) in a spaceship/house called larklight. when their cozy home is invaded by gigantic spiders art and myrtle have to leave their father behind to save themselves from the unusally intelligent arachnids. art and myrtle encounter various alarming and alternately helpful and horrifying aliens and a space pirate named jack havock who happens to be a teenager only a little older then myrtle. the siblings, as well as jack and other friends they meet along the way must solve the mystery of the white spiders and save the british intergallatic empire along the way.

the story is written for the most part with arthur narrating the adventure though when he and myrtle are separated, he inserts excerpts from her diary to fill in her story. i think the tale is very clever and big sci fans will probably enjoy it more than i did. i thought art and myrtle's relationship was very believable - overwhelmingly antagonistic but with a little respect and love thrown in too.