Isaac Asimov’s Robots and Aliens Book 3: Intruder by Robert Thurston

The main character in the third and final book of the Cobra Trilogy by Timothy Zahn is Jasmine (Jin) Moreau. Her father is Justin Moreau, the twin son of Johnny Moreau that became a Cobra. Jin hopes to continue this legacy, but there is one major roadblock. She’s a woman. Somewhere around this time the government discovers something odd happening back on Qasama, the world that they invaded back in Cobra Strike. Several blind spots in their satellite surveillance have developed. They are worried that the Qasamans might be trying to develop space flight or some type of weapon to use against the Cobra worlds. When a covert operation is planned, her family pushes for her to be trained as a Cobra. All Cobras that the Qasamans have seen have been men, so she should have an advantage. (more…)

A while back a co-worker of mine gave me A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller. It sat on a shelf for a few years until I recently got around to reading it. I didn’t really know much about the book when it was given to me, but since then I’ve seen it on a few “Best of SF” book lists. It also won the Hugo Award for best science fiction novel. There are three parts to the book, each taking place a few hundred years apart.

The setting of the first part takes begins in the 26th century. At some unspecified time in the past, the world all but destroyed in a global nuclear war. Almost all the secrets of modern technology were lost in what would later be described as a purge. The mob of humans left alive banded together to destroy all knowledge that could lead to another nuclear war. There were book burnings and hangings of scientists. The story follows group of monks that have built an abbey in the desert to house the Memorabilia as they refer to books, technical manuals, and other bits of information that are uncovered over time. Their patron is a man by the name of Leibowitz, who was hung during the purge just after the first nuclear war. (more…)

The 1959 novel Starship Troopers is a military-based science fiction novel which won the Hugo Award for best novel in 1960. Robert A. Heinlein clearly draws from his previous military experience to describe the career of Juan “Johnny” Rico as he works his way up from a fresh recruit to 2nd Lieutenant in the Terran Federation military during the “Bug War”.

The story is told through a series of flashbacks narrated by Rico, intertwined between these are obvious commentaries on discipline, politics, and human behavior. Heinlein’s concepts, specifically mechanical armor, influenced science fiction in various realms ranging from other novels to games, and even spawned a Hollywood motion picture. I’ve seen the movie Starship Troopers (1997) before, and will watch it again soon, so keep an eye out for that review. (more…)