Tag: “the system”

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Review: Martian Chronicles

Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

I give this book a 4.

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When reading this book for the first time, one has to take into consideration the period in which it was written. Bradbury’s creativity and ingenuity for space travel politics, cultural qualms, and concerns of human adaptation to space travel more than make up for the lack of technical terms and factual depictions of Mars.

These are individual accounts of trips to Mars all pulled together and retold as one chronicle of the human experience on Mars. We are giving a chance to view the human effect on Mars from multiple points of views including: disgruntled Martians, welcoming Martians, eager exploratory humans, refugees, and so much more.

This isn’t just another fast paced invasion story. The Martian Chronicles deals with of the philosophical concerns of visiting other planets and the effects of encountering an alien race. As much as I adore this story and enjoy the kooky spin the Martians and their world bring to theses matters, this story could have been told using any number of indigenous tribes right here on earth, but then there wouldn’t be as grand a feeling of exploration or adventure.

Reading story after story of how the human and Martian worlds have collided, reminded me of how it felt to watch The Twilight Zone when I was a kid. Some of it is a bit scary, but mostly it’s mysterious and thought-provoking. This is one I’d definitely recommend to any sci-fi fan and maybe even a few fantasy readers.

While there is truly something here for everyone, I don’t know that everyone would be up for it. In any case, I’d say this is a family-friendly read that dad would thoroughly enjoy.

This review has been posted to GoodReads.

If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try these link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Review: Divergent

Divergent (Divergent, book 1) by Veronica Roth

I give this book a 5.

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Here is a story that is simple and yet compelling all at once. It’s YA and I like it, no question, which is really saying something for me.

As with all dystopian novels, there is a ridiculous amount of struggle in this book, but if there wasn’t it wouldn’t be dystopian. I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but this story screams irony to me. Factions are somehow established to keep order and bring peace to this world seemingly built of wreckage, but the characters in the book don’t seem to realize how their factions are flawed and will be their ultimate demise (just a prediction).

Beatrice starts out as a small and meek member of the selfless faction and through a series of hard to imagine, understand, and believe events ends up being, Tris, a semi femme fatale member of the brave faction. There is a great deal of violence to this story that may be all shock value, but I like action in my movies, so why not in my books. There are several unanswered questions remaining when this book comes to an end, but I didn’t feel like I was lost in my understanding. I know what I know about the story and assume the rest will be explained later. Even if my questions are never answered, I’ve enjoyed the intrigue.

While this is a great novel for teens, I wonder if younger teens will be able to grasp the meaning of it all. I enjoyed the story immensely, but could understand why someone who is either a true fan of dystopian works or who isn’t a true fan of YA works might have problems with it. In any case, I think it’s worth a read just to find out whether you like it or not.

*I can’t imagine what Hollywood will do to this story on the big screen. I’m a little scared.

This review has been posted to GoodReads.

If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Review: Childhood’s End

Childhood’s End by Author C. Clarke

I give this book a 5.

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This is a wonderful book I wish I’d read sooner. Everything I’ve always known and loved about alien invasion plots seems to have been influenced by this book in one way or another.

The book starts out by describing the harmless but startling invasion of the Overlords. Within very little time, the soft-spoken, and at that point, never seen Overlords have rid the world of war and violence and made it subtly clear that they plan to stick around for a very long while. Of course, people being people constantly wonder and question the motives of the Overlords, but since no lives are being taken, peace abounds around the land.

Generations go by before the Overlords present themselves to the public, for good reasons that are clearly explained in the book. After that, the earth begins to reach its almost utopian pinnacle.  The one and only thing that really seems to be lacking in this new perfect world is the desire and or opportunity to explore new things. So of course, there is one man who decides to tackle this deficiency, with unexpected results.

More and more generations come and go until such a time that man has begun to evolve. Finally, the Overlords are ready to reveal their true purpose, but by that time, it doesn’t really matter anymore. There’s something more in store for the fate of the earth.

Wow, is the first thing that comes to mind each and every time I think of this book. The most riveting notion throughout this book is the sense of the unknown. Every time one thing is explained and all is well, there’s something else to keep you guessing. The story comes to a very clear and compelling end, but even then you are left wondering, and not because the author didn’t feel like filling the reader in. There are some things in this world that we just cannot understand. We can either accept them and move on with our lives, or we can let our desire to know destroy us.

While children and even some teens may not understand all the themes and scope of this story, I would recommend it to anyone. Sci-fi fans are sure to love this story, but anyone who’s ever been plagued by wanting to know more will appreciate this book.

This review has been posted to GoodReads.

If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords