Tag Archives: Abducted by Aliens

The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost (Book 1)

American Literature September 25, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A boy enters an elite prep school to hide from the mysterious black capped men who are stalking him and who have taken over his family, only to discover a conspiracy coming from another dimension. Review: The Paladin Prophecy is extremely well-written, and despite the presence of many expected genre elements, it showed a lot of imagination. Not surprising, considering that Mark Frost was the co-creator of Twin Peaks, one of the best TV shows of all time. I found so much I liked…

Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke

American Literature July 23, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Aliens take over the world with nothing but benevolence and peace, but are the changes they bring ultimately good for the human race? Review: I listened to the audio version of Childhood’s End thanks to a sale on Audible. I was really hooked the whole time, despite Clarke’s detached style. I felt the story held up mostly well, some 60 years after publication. However, Clarke was unable to imagine how radically sexual and gender politics would change in that time, and so the personal…

Hunter’s Run by George RR Martin, Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham

American Literature September 15, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After encountering an alien species in a desolate woods, a man finds himself biologically tethered to a beast-like creature, hunting a man who might be himself. Review: I listened to the audiobook of Hunter’s Run, and really appreciated the eloquence of the prose as a result. The story wasn’t half bad, either, though I’m sure my lack of familiarity with science fiction meant that I didn’t figure out the catch as soon as a more savvy reader would have. I liked the emphasis on…

The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell

American Literature August 28, 2007 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

Synopsis: The sole survivor of humankind’s first trip to space is a ruined, broken Jesuit priest, for whom the encounter with alien life brought him both divinely inspired rapture and despair. Review: When humanity finally hears a voice from space, it’s music, and thanks to a bold young scientist the first mission to the source of the transmission is financed by the Jesuits, completely under the radar of the rest of the world. However, something has gone horribly wrong, and no one has survived the…

The Tommyknockers by Stephen King

American Literature May 1, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When an author stubs her toe on a piece of metal buried on her property, she uncovers a force which begins to change her from within–and this force might be guided by a malevolent consciousness. Review: I have begun The Brothers Karamazov, but it’s not exactly a “before-bed” book. Enter The Tommyknockers, a lesser work by Stephen King that deals with a pretty big whatif: “What if there was a spaceship buried in my backyard?” Bobbi Anderson stubs her toe on some metal, and…

One Door Away from Heaven by Dean Koontz

American Literature March 26, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Young Leilani has a deformed hand and a brace on her leg–and she’s just told her alcoholic ex-con neighbor that her differences are why her deranged doctor stepfather and whacked-out druggie mother are going to kill her unless she’s abducted by aliens when she turns 10. Review: I read this book because it was recommended by Wesley Smith, a leading voice against utilitarianism bioethics, which is the concept that death is the optimal choice for anyone living a less-than-perfect existence, physically speaking. Rather than…

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