I have been a lover of science fiction and fantasy all my life. As a child, my passion began with DC Comics and characters like Superman, Green Lantern, and The Flash. Soon after I delved into Greek and Norse mythology along with Tom Swift Jr.'s books. My passion continued into my teenage years when I read Asimov, Herbert, Bradbury, Tolkien, and LeGuin. During my adult years, I turned to a variety of authors such as Donaldson, Goodkind, and Brooks. Reading science fiction and fantasy let me view the improbable as possible and the incredible as a metaphor for the world we live in.
One of my all-time favorite soft science fiction novels, Dune creates a world of sand filled with intriguing characters and themes revolving around the interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion. Paul Atreides is the main character who achieves superpowers as a result of a trial by fire or sand in this case. If you are looking for engaging characters in a unique yet familiar world, Dune is a must-read. Heck, it’s a must-read for anyone interested in this genre.
Before The Matrix, before Star Wars, before Ender's Game and Neuromancer, there was Dune: winner of the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards, and widely considered one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written.
Melange, or 'spice', is the most valuable - and rarest - element in the universe; a drug that does everything from increasing a person's lifespan to making interstellar travel possible. And it can only be found on a single planet: the inhospitable desert world of Arrakis.
Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe.
This may well be the most popular fantasy series ever and much of that is because of the main character, Harry Potter. Each book has Harry grow and develop as a fantasy character but also as a human being, so in the first few books we relate to Harry as though he were an apprentice wizard and a young middle schoolboy in YA fashion. Then in the later books, Harry must face evil in a very adult-like fashion. As with all of us, Harry makes mistakes but manages to somehow overcome them and in so doing demonstrates his connection to humanity and ultimately to us. It is this connection that makes Harry Potter such an engaging character.
Galloping gargoyles ... 2022 is the silver anniversary of J.K. Rowling's magical classic Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone!
The boy wizard Harry Potter has been casting a spell over young readers and their families ever since 1997. Now the first book in this unmissable series celebrates 25 years in print! The paperback edition of the tale that introduced us to Harry, Ron and Hermione has been updated and dressed in silver to mark the occasion. It's time to take the magical journey of a lifetime ...
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping…
When I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy in college, I was blown away. As an English major, I immediately saw many of Tolkien’s literary connections, but it was his development of Frodo and Sam that are at the heart of this series. Frodo, a Hobbit from the Shire, is the high-minded Hobbit with a mission and he must achieve it at any cost. His determination becomes his cloak of honor and ultimately his heroism. Sam, on the other hand, is the simple Hobbit with simple needs who is steadfastly loyal to Frodo and their quest. It is his loyalty and resolve that becomes his heroic shield, so if you’re looking for the true hero of the trilogy, my vote is for Sam.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.
For those of you not familiar with The Golden Compass, the first book in the Dark Materials series, it flits between fantasy and speculative fiction with Lyra Belacqua as the main character. Lyra is a young scholar at Jordan College who is constantly at odds with her classmates and professors. She is a willful youngster determined to do things her way, but with a daemon familiar (in the form of a cat) who constantly must remind Lyria of the moral and ethical ramifications of “doing it her own way.” The journey Lyra takes is the journey we all must take at some time in our lives: to discover the true path in life—through religion or through science.
The first volume in Philip Pullman's groundbreaking HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy, now a thrilling, critically acclaimed BBC/HBO television series. First published in 1995, and acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, this first book in the series won the UK's top awards for children's literature.
"Without this child, we shall all die."
Lyra Belacqua and her animal daemon live half-wild and carefree among scholars of Jordan College, Oxford.
The destiny that awaits her will take her to the frozen lands of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight.
Her extraordinary journey will have immeasurable consequences far beyond her own world...
With the advent of the films, The Hunger Games has become one of the most popular dystopian novel series of this generation. At the heart and soul of Hunger Games is Katniss Everdeen, the 16-year-old youth from a poor District 12 who replaces her sister Primrose in the gladiator-style games—a fight to the death. Katniss is the narrator of the series in the books and it is through her eyes that we see what has become of this future world. Her struggles to overcome almost impossible odds gives her an almost superhero status as a very down-to-earth teenager. This is the strength of the series and the reason why this YA novel has risen so rapidly to become a dazzling success.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...
An old man sells magical patches in war-torn Hagra-Dis when he encounters a young one-armed girl crying for help. A missile blast kills the young girl, Meesha, but Var patches her back to life and they flee marauding storm troopers.
Imperial High Command unleashes Ulan, a Lore-trained assassin, who chases Var and his ragged band of followers through an underground labyrinth peopled with powerful beings and monsters. Both the pursued and the pursuers find themselves in life or death situations when they encounter the Greeter, a mysterious being who controls the entrance to parallel worlds in the labyrinth. It is in these domains they discover clues to end the war—with little Meesha as the secret key to ultimate victory and peace.
My wife suggested we try scuba diving while on holiday in Grand Cayman. We were already falling in love with the island, and the incredible experience underwater opened a whole new world to us. From that moment on, our yearly travels changed completely. Our destination choices were now based upon diving opportunities. That was twenty years ago. Today, I’m a certified divemaster with dives all over the US (including Hawaii), the Caribbean (including Cuba), Australia, and even Iceland. Throw in my sense of adventure as a former race car driver, motorcycle rider, and outdoor adventurer, and I had plenty of personal experiences to create the AJ Bailey series.
Readers who enjoy police procedurals with an offbeat main character and fascinating locations will love this thriller.
One missing girl. Two lives on the line. Four treacherous challenges.
Nora Sommer's first case for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is one she'll never forget... if she survives. When the daughter of a wealthy businessman is taken, Nora is first on the scene and unwittingly 'chosen' by the kidnapper.
With the crime live-streamed across the internet, the eyes of the world are upon her as she faces a sequence of difficult challenges with the life of the kidnapped girl hanging on…
One missing girl. Two lives on the line. Four treacherous challenges.
Nora Sommer's first case for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is one she'll never forget - if she survives.
When the daughter of a wealthy businessman is taken, Nora is first on the scene and unwittingly 'chosen' by the kidnapper. With the crime live-streamed across the internet, the eyes of the world are upon her as she faces a sequence of difficult challenges with the life of the kidnapped girl hanging on Nora's success - or failure.
Deadly Sommer is the thrilling first book in the Nora Sommer…
