The Getaway Special by Jerry Oltion

Allen Meisner is a member of INSANE, the International Network of Scientists Against Nuclear Extermination. A card-carrying mad scientist, he develops a hyperdrive engine capable of taking anyone to the stars for just a few dollars. But after a demonstration aboard a space ship goes awry, Allen learns that there's no such thing as a free ride.

Allen's ideas do not have quite the effect he desires. While the ability to travel great distances excites some, it terrifies others. Earth is in chaos as governments prepare for war to control this unleashed power. With everyone waiting for the bomb - now propelled by hyperdrive - to fall, Allen and his shuttle pilot, Judy Gallagher, look for a way to save humanity.

With electronic parts from Radio Shack and a plastic septic tank from a lumberyard, they build their own spacecraft and go in search of habitable planets. Armed with new allies, an intelligent butterfly, and a temperamental tree, they return to Earth for a final showdown between fear and freedom.

The Getaway Special, and its sequel, Anywhere But Here by Jerry Oltion aren't exactly great works of science fiction, but they're still some of my favorite.  I love the concept of somehow jury-rigging a functioning spaceship, without the backing of a major government or company.  I also enjoy how a good part of the novels deal with the scary, life-threatening difficulties of spaceflight and exploration, and discovering alien ecologies.

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Monster Hunter Series by Larry Correia

Five days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a fourteenth story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer. 

It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry. On the other side are the people who kill monsters for a living. Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business. And now Owen is their newest recruit. 

It’s actually a pretty sweet gig, except for one little problem. An ancient entity known as the Cursed One has returned to settle a centuries old vendetta. Should the Cursed One succeed, it means the end of the world, and MHI is the only thing standing in his way. With the clock ticking towards Armageddon, Owen finds himself trapped between legions of undead minions, belligerent federal agents, a cryptic ghost who has taken up residence inside his head, and the cursed family of the woman he loves. 

Business is good... Welcome to Monster Hunter International.

Larry Correia is a new author (his first book, Monster Hunter International, was published on December 2007), but he has rapidly become one of my favorites.  Thankfully, he is also quite prolific, having already published four novels in his Monster Hunter series (with three more planned), three novels in his Grimnoir Chronicles, and another two in his Dead Six series (with one more planned).

Trained since childhood to be a soldier by his war hero veteran father (who's either paranoid and crazy or prophetic), Owen Pitt wants nothing more than to be a normal guy.  Sure, he might have an unhealthy love for quality firearms, and paid for his accounting degree by participating in an underground fight club (where losing his cool nearly killed an opponent), but he's trying.

That is, until late one night at the office, his boss turns into a werewolf and tries to eat him.  Somehow, not only does he survive, but he kills the asshole, causing so much damage to the monster that it can no longer heal at a supernatural rate, and then tossing him out of a window, with a heavy desk on top.

After waking up from a near death experience (where he meets a somewhat cryptic old, Jewish spirit guide), he finds out that the world is a much darker place than he could have ever imagined, he apparently has a destiny he doesn't want but is uncommonly suitable for, and a new job, working under the girl of his dreams, killing monsters for lots of cash.

What's not to like about a story like this?

DOWNLOAD the 4 novels of the Monster Hunter series in epub format here, at RapidGator.net

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

The Dresden Files is a contemporary fantasy/mystery series (at the moment there are 14 books, with a dozen short stories and a couple of novellas) written by Jim Butcher.  It follows the first person narrative of one private investigator and wizard Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, as he recounts his investigations of supernatural disturbances in modern Chicago.

Now, I must confess, I'm a bit obsessed on this series.  I actually follow Jim Butcher's forum, awaiting any and all news on future work.  I have the admittedly mediocre Dresden Files TV series on DVD, as well as the comics, and even the RPG rule books.

The first book, Storm Front, was my first exposure to one of my now favorite genres, urban fantasy.  The series admittedly starts out a little slow, coming across as a superficial urban fantasy with a dash of a hard-boiled detective mystery, but believe me, the more you read, the better it gets.  Not only does Butcher's writing improve, but as the series progresses, we see Harry's life become increasingly more complicated, his opponents become stronger and scarier, the odds steeper, and the circumstances more dire.  Harry, along with a grow cast of supporting characters (both friends, foes and those in between) become more evolved and complex, making the whole universe seem more real.

I like to think of Harry Dresden as the Spider-man of the supernatural world.  Not only does he follow the maxim "with great powers come great responsibilities", but like the famed wall crawler, he keeps getting shit on and beat up (not just physically, but also mentally ans spiritually) on a regular basis.  Still he moves forward, clinging onto his humanity and moral compass, no matter what it cost him.

And oh boy, does it cost him...

Download the "Dresden Files" series in epub format from Rapidgator.net here.

The Belisarius Saga by David Drake and Eric Flint

"In northern India the Malwa have created an empire of unexampled evil.  Guided or possessed by an intelligence from beyond time, with new weapons, old treachery, and an implacable will to power, the Malwa will sweep over the whole Earth.  Only three things stand between the Malwa and their plan of eternal domination: the empire of Rome in the East, Byzantium; a crystal with vision; and a man named Belisarius, the greatest commander Earth has ever know..."

The premise of this sci-fi, alternate history series is that a war between two competing societies in the far future spills over to 6th century Earth.  On one side, we have The New Gods, who abhor how humanity has changed itself, adapting to a myriad of new worlds and environments.  Striving to change the future and keep mankind "pure" they send a cyborg named Link back in time to advise and control the Malwa Empire of India, to attempt to conquer the world, stamping out meritorious accomplishment as a means to privilege and instead favor planned eugenics and hereditary birth.

On the other side of the equation, a crystalline entity named Center, originating in humanity's far future, contacts the Byzantine general Belisarius and shows him the vision of the dark future with Malwa conquering the Byzantine Empire and the world.

And so begins a long and bloody battle for freedom and humanity's future, centering not only on outright warfare, but also technological advancement (stirrups, gunpowder, cannon, grenades, rockets, steam engines, etc.), espionage, and political intrigue and maneuvering.

I really like this series and how it manages to shift viewpoints between several main characters, giving us a wider and more in depth view of events.  My one complaint is that it all seemed to end quite abruptly.  I wouldn't have minded a final book, dedicated to solely tying up lose ends and giving us a more advanced view of what this new world would eventually turn into.

DOWNLOAD all six books in the Belisarius Saga in epub format here

Conrad Stargard Series by Leo Frankowski

"One moment Conrad Schwartz was suffering from a severe hangover as he hiked through the mountains of present-day Poland, the next he was running for his life from an angry Teutonic knight. Things went downhill from there, and he finally had to face the disheartening fact he had somehow been stranded in 1231 A.D.

He would have been happier if he had known less history. But there was very bad news in his new future, so he set out to turn Medieval Poland into the most powerful country in the thirteenth century. It wouldn't be easy. He would be investigated by the Inquisition (he should have expected that), be knighted, round up vassals, build a city, survive armed combat with the Champion of the Teutonic Knights, invent the steam engine and cloth factories, establish universal education, and organize an army.

He needed that army most of all, because he knew that the Mongol hordes would attack in only ten years and destroy medieval Poland—and that would really mess up Conrad's life."

One of my favorite genres is alternate history, including stories in which modern people are dropped into other times to survive.  Whether its cmsix's work, Eric Flint's Assiti Shards series, or Harry Turtledove's many novels, I love 'em all.

I like the Conrad Stargard series too, but there are also several things that I just don't like about it.  It all basically boils down to one point - Conrad is a bit of a dick.  For some reason, I don't like him all that much.

First, though Conrad's helping advance Poland technologically, hoping to help Europe survive the oncoming mongol hordes, he has no problem taking advantage of all the young, pretty peasant girls.  OK, maybe I don't have that much trouble with that, but I do have a problem with how he refuses to man up and accept some sort of commitment with any of the loving and devoted nubile young ladies.  When he eventually does get married to an admittedly sexy french woman, its mostly for political reasons and he quickly becomes estranged from her.

Secondly, though he at times takes charge of the situation and people around him, most of the time he is so absorbed in his engineering work that he completely ignores the world around him.  People are constantly getting pissed of at him for being absentminded.

Still, its a great story, if you can look past the flawed protagonist.  Oh, also the intelligent horses who for some reason gain religion and the bio-engineered sex slaves/servants.  Those things kinda ruin it for me too.

Download the "Conrad Stargard" series in epub format from Rapidgator.net here.

The Dig by Alan Dean Foster

I'm going to be trying something new from now on.  Every other week or so, whenever I'm not posting a chapter, I'll instead post a small review of a book or comic that I like and want to share.

I hope someone enjoys...

"When an asteroid out of nowhere threatens to hit Earth, a space shuttle is sent to nudge it into a safe orbit. Venturing to the surface, three crew members become trapped as the asteroid suddenly leaves orbit, transporting them to a strange planet light years away. To find their way home, the intrepid explorers must embark on a dangerous archaeological adventure in this tale of galactic intrigue and suspense."

I played the game "The Dig", made by Steven Spielberg and LucasArts, years before I read the book.  In fact, I didn't even know that there was a book.  The game was my first experience with a point-and-click style adventure and I absolutely fell in love, not only with the genre, but also with the story.

The premise of the story is simple: a party of three astronauts (a veteran American astronaut, a German scientist, and an Asian journalist) travels to an asteroid that has come too close for comfort to Earth.  After setting off a series of carefully placed explosive charges to move the rock into a stable orbit, they discover that the asteroid is in fact an alien artifact - some sort of powerful FTL transportation device.

As you can expect, the trio are then transported against their will to a far off alien planet.  But instead of encountering a welcoming committee, they uncover a long deserted alien civilization.  What can you do in a situation like that, but go exploring in an attempt to find a way home?  Besides the themes of exploration and discovery, adventure and the need to get home before they starve, there are also deeper delvings into the meanings of life/death/immortality.

The book might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it holds a special place on my bookshelf.  Check it out if you're willing and able.

Download "The Dig" by Alan Dean Foster in epub format here from Uploadmirrors.com
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