Science Fiction Books > H Science Fiction Books > less than 5 GBP

Whimsically Equine (Tim the Tiny Horse - Harry Hill)

Advantages: funny and gentle
Disadvantages: slight

...make an attempt at reviewing Tim as a stand-alone. I am happy to say that it acquits itself well. Tim is a horse, blue and so tiny that he lives in matchbox with a tic-tac box for a conservatory. A single Hoola-Hoop makes his lunch (he prefers barbecue beef flavour) and a fly (called Fly) is his best friend. Tim doesn't do much - apart from a few not very successful attempts at making it big in the media he seems to spend his days watching television ...
...necessary for enjoyment. For example, Tim has a bit of obsession with a newsreader called Anna Ford: I don't have a television so I am not familiar with Ms Ford (I checked and she's real and not a character in Tim's milieu), but I can still appreciate Tim's heartache. There is a wealth of astute observations of our modern lives in Tim's adventures and some of them brought tears of recognition to my eyes. I particularly enjoyed Tim's foray into the ...

magdadh 20.05.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Tim the Tiny Horse - Harry Hill

Is Dune the best SF novel ever?

Advantages: Scope, detail, characters, worms, spice!
Disadvantages: I really can't think of any

I first read Dune back in 1985 mainly because there was a big movie of the book coming out. Since then I've read it a number of times and I think it's probably my favourite novel. The book can be read on many levels. I find myself enjoying it for two reasons. First of all it's a great adventure story with Paul and his mother on the run from the evil Harkonnens across the strange desert world. Different factions are working behind the scenes to leverage ...
...for the unique universe Herbert created. The details fly off the page. The descriptions of the Great Houses, the Sisterhood, the Guild are totally convincing. And the little details such as the workings of a stillsuit add more layers. If you've not read it then give it a chance. If you have read it then read it again! ...

chevron999 01.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Dune - Frank Herbert

Robert Heinlein, First and Best

Advantages: A very entertaining thoughtful reat
Disadvantages: Not to every ones liking

Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein. Published in 1959. Very brief synopsis:- With this book you follow the life of one Juan (Johnny) Rico from his enlistment in the Federal Service, Mobile Infantry, up to his command of a platoon of these troops in an Interstellar war. Mankind is facing a Bug like alien species, something like a giant ant crossed with a spider. Johnny Rico comes from a background of wealth and privilege and through peer pressure ...
...who has completed a minimum two year service has the Right to vote. Not everybody wants to serve and thus vote. A good part of the book is taking up with his time at boot camp and the training he undergoes. Running in the background that we are not aware of is the situation that is getting steadily worse, going from normal peace time through a state of emergency to a full war. The reasons for this we are not told. This book is written in the third ...

Coloneljohn 18.04.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein

Ever try to hide a weapon in a little red dress?

Advantages: fascinating world, intriguing characters,interesting crimes
Disadvantages: none that I can think of!

...My Thoughts: Guilty Pleasures was first released back in 1993. I am baffled as to how I could have overlooked this series for so many years, but in exchange I've had the pleasure of reading the series back to back from book one straight through to book fifteen, The Harlequin, over the past three months. Things have a way of evening themselves out. Hamilton's first book in this series set its hooks deep into the mind of this reader, and I'd have to ...
...of this life. Guilty Pleasures is the name of the strip club Jean-Claude runs, but it is also an apt description of Anita's feelings about the events that unfold in this book. Here, we are just being introduced to Anita, her powers, and her world. All the books to follow just help add a little flesh to these rather appealing bones. "Pity is an emotion that can get you killed. The only thing more dangerous is blind hate, and maybe love." Anita may ...

Entwife 06.02.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton

Strongly Recommended

Advantages: Long, compelling, thought provoking, easy to read
Disadvantages: None I can think of

Although I have been a fan of science fiction for as long as I can remember, it was only a few months ago that I first tried reading Peter F. Hamilton. This was the first I read and I only wish I had discovered him sooner. This is what I would consider to be classic science fiction. Hamilton takes current trends such as the consumer culture prevalent in the world today and extrapolates that into a grim prediction of a future world. He then populates ...
...with this vision. In the 24th century, mankind has spread out into the stars, a process funded by corporations only interested in profits and share values. To recoup the massive expenditure required to terraform new planets into habitable biospheres (and remove any inconvenient extraterrestrial lifeforms along the way) these corporations then embark on 'asset realisation' campaigns, which basically involves invading a planet and taking a payment ...

BenRowland 05.04.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton