Science Fiction Books > P Science Fiction Books > Arthur C. Clarke

Advantages: Clarke's superb writing style
Disadvantages: It hasn't aged well

The main drawback that there is in reading this book is that the events it is predicting have occured. Clarke wrote this book in 1947 and the story of the book is about the first moon landing in 1977 so we need to give him a little leeway. The book itself is not too bad, there are touches in the writing of the brilliance of some of his later books. The oddest thing I found is that it seems towards the end of the book the style seemed to change and ... Read review

Advantages: A good read.
Disadvantages: None

The Mutant Chronicles. ************************** Introduction: *************** It came from space……… It came to change man into mutants….. A war followed and was just about won. The machine was buried in the earth so it could do no more harm and there it waits……to be discovered. Synopsis: *********** The year is 2707 and four corporations rule the whole world and battle each other endlessly. The bookbegins with trench warfare and even ...
...never changes no matter what the time period. The fighting is Gruesome, pointless and with lots of carnage and death. Poison gas bombs, huge artillery and hand to hand combat. The fighting is fierce and then the 'Machine 'is found. A portal opens and the mutants begin to escape, suddenly the soldiers are not fighting each other, they're fighting for their lives. The mutants have only one objective to butcher anything that isn't a mutant and this ... Read review

Advantages: Everything you could want in a horror
Disadvantages: A bit graphic for the more squeamish people

I must state at the outset that I read this book when I was about 17 and so my memories of it might be a little compromised by my age at the time. "The Shee" is one of the most terrifying books I have ever read. What makes it so frightening is the feeling of "realness" that I got throughout. The places mentioned, the characters involved and the masterfully descriptive writing of Joe Donnelly really stirred something within me that made The Shee, ...
...fail to impress you is the level of work and research that Donnelly put into this book before going to print. The other review on this website goes into the story in ample depth so I have merely given my overall opinion of the book. If you want to know if you should buy it I would ask you the following questions: 1. Can you handle a horror which will keep you awake all night for fear of falling asleep? 2. Do you know anything about Irish legend, ... Read review

Advantages: Intriguing, beautiful, mysterious
Disadvantages: it ended!

I can guarantee anyone who enjoys fantasy will love this, it is absolutely awesome. I became addicted at about page 3 of the first book, which i would definitely reccomend that you read before you start this one or you probably won't have much idea of what is going on. So, the plot. The story starts with Revian- one of the great things about Canavan's writing is that she is able to include chapters from several differnet points of view without annoying ...
...Reivan, a discontented Thinker in the Pentadrian army, catches the notice of the Voice Imenja when she leads the trapped army to safety from the underground, caved-in mines. Imenja offers her a once in a lifetime oppertunity- to become a Servant of the Gods. But she finds being the only unskilled servant a lot harder than it looks, especially when potential new Pentadrian leader, the stunning Nekuan, is around. Auraya, still dealing with the betrayal ... Read review

Advantages: everything in the whole world
Disadvantages: none

Bank's kicks ass, this book blew me away, absolutely and incredibly to another planet ... earth in the future. Banks is absolutely the most imaginative man on earth, never before has a book taken me to an alien future so messed up and so creative as this one. Starting with a birth from nowhere, a naked lady waking up for the first time and assimilating her surroundings, her capacity to think, to see, to talk and understand. Baskill the teller, a ...
...(though difficuult at first) dialect of english and who has a pet ant as a friend, who can also interact with the matrix which is physically implanted in the walls, floors and ceilings of all that is around him in the physical world, count sessine, reborn nine times on a voyage into the matrix to find the truth .... this is just incredible stuff.... I'll never forget the bit with Asura in the fairytale tower, the prince who came to take her away ... Read review