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Spider Star
The human colony on the planet Argo has long explored and exploited the technology left behind by an extinct alien race. But then an archaeology team accidentally activates a terrible weapon...
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Praise for Star Dragon
"Seldom does a storytelling talent come along as potent and fully mature as Mike Brotherton. His complex characters take you on a voyage that is both fiercely credible and astonishingly imaginative. This is Science Fiction."
-- David Brin"Star Dragon is terrific fare, offering readers a fusion of hard science and grand adventure."
-- Locus Magazine"Star Dragon is steeped in cosmology, the physics of interstellar travel, exobiology, artificial intelligence, bioscience. Brotherton, author of many scientific articles in refereed journals, has written a dramatic, provocative, utterly convincing hard science sf novel that includes an ironic twist that fans will love."
-- Booklist starred review"Readers hungry for the thought-provoking extrapolation and rigorous technical detail of old-fashioned hard SF are sure to enjoy astronomer Brotherton's first novel."
-- Publishers Weekly"Mike Brotherton, himself a trained astrophysicist, combines the technical acuity and ingenuity of Robert Forward with the ironic, postmodern stance and style of M. John Harrison. In this, his debut novel, those twin talents unite to produce a work that is involving on any number of levels. It's just about all you could ask for in a hardcore SF adventure."
-- Paul di Fillippo, SCI-FI.COM
Philip Jose Farmer Dead at 91
February 25th, 2009
Here’s one brief announcement.
Farmer was my first favorite writer and I read everything of his I could get my hands on for many, many years. His best work was imaginative and engrossing, eye popping and mind blowing. Some of his work was rather pedestrian and pulpy, but as a 10-12 year old boy, I still loved it, too.
The first adult science fiction novel I read, and perhaps the first adult novel of any kind, was A Private Cosmos, by Philip Jose Farmer. The one with the Boris Vallejo cover. That was 3rd grade, I believe, and it began a lifelong love affair with science fiction.
A Private Cosmos Cover text:
It was a world of tiers and layers - the Amerind level, the Garden of Eden level, the Talanac, the Atlantean - a universe of green skies and fabled beasts. It was the playground-cosmos of the Lord Jadawin, with transgravitational gates to the other levels and other worlds. But now the gates were being sabotaged to permit the entry of an invading force of ‘Bellers’ - human bodies housing the transferred minds of rebel Lords - and their minions, who were seeking two things: total domination of every Lord’s private cosmos, now that they had achieved immortality, and the life of Kickaha the Trickster, who knew too much …
I’m going to miss him a lot. While I got to meet many of the authors I’ve admired over the years, I never did meet Farmer and now I guess I never will, in person. But there was a part of him I did meet, when I was ten, and I will remember that meeting forever.
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February 25th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
In addition to the World of Tiers and Riverworld series, I absolutely loved his Tarzan and Doc Savage biographies. I had enjoyed many Doc Savage novels when I was young so it was great to get the “true” story.
And Venus on the Half-Shell!
He will be missed.
February 26th, 2009 at 2:24 am
Gee, I was just thinking nostalgically about Riverworld a couple days ago!
Venus on the Half-Shell was good meta fun. I also remember reading his collection “Strange Relations” about taboo sexual themes.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Yeah, Venus on a Half-Shell was a trip. “Strange Relations” was very interesting. And Riverworld was my favorite sf series back in the late 1970s. Wish the sci-fi channel movie had been better.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I read a lot of Doc Savage, too.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I must be sincere… I never read anything by him nor knew much about him and his work.
I heard a few times about Riverworld, but never cared to read.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Do yourself a favor and find “To Your Scattered Bodies Go” and see if you like it. If you’re willing to wait until May, I can likely bring you a copy from the U.S.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Well, of course I can wait. There are a few other books I will be reading until may.
Btw, I started reading Larry Niven´s Destiny´s Road and I cant get past page 100… I am hating the book. And this is the worst writing I have ever seen. Maybe thats because I am brazilian (although I have easily read Dune, LOTR, almost everything by Asimov and other sci-fi authors in english), but I find VERY HARD to follow his ideas, dialogues and plot in the book.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
btw, thanks in advance for the book. But I may try to buy it on the USA-Brazil bookstore, that way, it saves you the weight on the luggage.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
OK, let me know. Haven’t read Destiny’s Road. Love a lot of other Niven.
February 27th, 2009 at 6:17 am
I have read Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers. Its like its not the same guy writing the books. Except for the teenage obsession with sex of both Engineers and Destiny Road.
But even the writing style… gosh…