Book Review: Where's My Jet Pack (Book 1 of 150)

My first first book of 2011 is Where's My Jet Pack? is a scientific book by Daniel H. Wilson. I'm not much of science girl, but I'm a science fiction girl. I'm amazed that so much science fiction tech is attainable. Jet packs are not possible because, accept, including to the author by extreme sports people.

There are lots of contests apparently to engage contests that allow people to bring about science fiction tech. If you are really into this sort of thing, read this book. Another thing I liked was the human bring section, part 5. The book also dealt with transportation, robotics (I was particularly interested in the part about robots and people with disabilities). Also, there is section on space habitats, sea habitats, and so on.

I rate this book a 7. My rating might be higher if I weren't sick. It was very understandable, even for a non-science person like me.

Book Review: The Trench (Book 55 of 100)

I'm glad it was to hot to go aware today. I have been reading The Trench all day long. I didn't expect to like it, sequels usually suck. I loved Meg, even though it was not my usual genre. I ordered all of the series (there are 4, thus far), but honestly didn't expect much. I was happily wrong.

In this tale, Jonas Taylor and Terry Tanaka are married, but not too happily- a miscarriage, bankruptcy, law suits, and the stress of taking care of a monster shark are too much. This is especially true for Jonas who gradually losing his grip and the world of sanity. In this book, the Megalodon shark, named ironically Angel, escapes, Jonas put find and recapture or kill her. In addition, he must deal with an insane member of the Russian mob, his slutty protege (who Terry wants to kill and I support her in this), and Islamic terrorists associated with Bin Laden.

If this adventure sound convoluted it is, but Steve Alten manages to hold it together. Alten writes popular fiction, but he writes it well, I'm curious what he would do in other genres, but he doesn't apparently write in them.

I rate this book at very surprising 8. It is the best popular fiction can be. Sadly, all too often it doesn't rise to the occasion. As an author of sci-fi, and other popular fiction forms, I must admit that Alten's work which I discovered accidentally in the Union Station bookstore in Washington, DC gives me a glimpse of the genres, such as sci-fi and women's fiction, can actually be.

Book Review: Meg (Book 54 of 100)

I don't normally read trashy adventure novels, but I do enjoy science fiction. Upon opening Meg, I discovered not a trashy novel, but a really good book. Jonas, the main character, is a navy diver who flipped out when he saw a giant prehistoric shark, the Megalodon. Everyone thought he was nuts, but it turned out not so much.

Years after Jonas has his sighting, the Megalodon surfaces and attacks surfers, fisherman, whales, and whatever else she can get her mouth around. Instead of feeling vindicated, Jonas still has all his old problems- a cheating wife, some doubters (even though the Megalodon's existence was proven), and a pissed off female water shuttle pilot who thinks he has the job of piloting the ship because her father is sexist. The problem is that Jonas has the hots for her, a feeling she is loathe to return.

But the philandering wife gets hers. The pretty girl gives him the time of day. All and all things are looking up for Jonas. That is, until he agrees, to try and trap the beast for a marine park, owned by the pretty girl's father- a Japanese/American internment camp prisoner.

I like this book, even if it's not typical of my reading material. Unlike most adventure books, this as I said, was well written, I'd rate it an 8. I've ordered all the sequels (three in total), although I can't imagine who they are going to keep up the well written nature of this novel, but I do hope the author manages.