Review: 1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies

1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies by Eric Flint

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies follows Eddie Contrell, the naval hero of the Baltic, and his king's daughter wife as they travel to the new world to secure a supply of oil for the USE and its allies. This volume is the best in the series in a long time and is evocative of C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower books. Highly recommended.



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Review: Rescue Mode

Rescue Mode by Ben Bova

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Science-fiction author and noted scientist David Brin has often stated that far too much recent science-fiction is dystopian in nature. With this book Ben Bova and Les Johnson provide a story that is optimistic about space exploration while remaining realistic about the challenges that we face as we reach for the stars (and planets). The action revolves around the first manned mission to Mars and the difficulties that the crew face in space as well as the difficulties that forward thinking politicians and the NASA administration need to overcome in order to maintain humanity's role as explorers.

The narrative does a remarkable job of providing the right mix of interesting character interactions, scientific information, and political intrigue. This is a fantastic book and is highly recommended.



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