This page was last updated on 13 January 2008.

Books, books, BOOKS!

Current book list [Booklist]

What I'm reading, what's in the queue, and what I just finished. My tastes run mostly to science fiction and history, so chances are that's what I'm reading. With a library I estimate at between three and four thousand volumes, I've got a lot of reading to do.

Naval SF Recommended Reading List

As a science fiction fan who happens to be a naval analyst and wargame designer, I find these books (and websites, etc.) particularly interesting or useful, for either the ideas or the execution. This is the longer version of ChrisW's Naval SF Card, which I hand out at science fiction conventions. (It's a work-in-progress.)

Pocket summaries and reviews

Nothing too detailed, just some thoughts on some of the books I have read.

Favorite Books and Series

These are more detailed looks at some of my favorite works.
  • The Exordium series, by Sherwood Smith and Dave Trowbridge
    The Panarch captured, the Fleet outgunned, and the Heir on the run -- and that's only in the first book! This page includes a discussion of the political and technological background of the Panarchy of the Thousand Suns, an in-depth look at naval tactics in the Exordium universe, a few of the little tidbits that I think makes this series better than most of the genre, and a list of unanswered questions posed by the books. Includes unpublished information provided by the authors. Also, there is now an Exordium mailing list.

  • Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
    Heinlein's classic of therights and duties of citizenship, seen through the eyes of a young recruit of the 22nd century, is as controversial today as it was when it was first published 40 years ago. It has been widely misinterpreted by a variety of people, the most recent being moviemakers Paul Verhoeven and Ed Neumeier. Here's my take on the book, complete with a review of and comparison to Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers.

  • The Phoenix Legacy trilogy, by M.K. Wren
    A thousand years after the collapse of civilization, 33rd century Earth is a relatively prosperous place, at the expense of liberty for the vast majority of population. This look at M.K. Wren's classic includes a chronology of the events between now and then and a discussion of the political and technological background of the Concord of Loyal Houses. It's still somewhat sparse, but I hope to spendc more time on it in the near future.

  • The Dragon Never Sleeps, by Glen Cook
    It's next to impossible to summarize the plot, so I didn't. I did try to include some of the neat things in about it, though.

  • A Talent for War, by Jack McDevitt
    Coming soon, I hope -- until then, you can read my Pocket Review.

Science Fiction Resources

A few interesting (I hope) pieces of background research.
  • Interstellar, Intrastellar, and Space Travel List
    The famous comprehensive "space drives in science fiction" list first compiled by Wildside, soon to be expanded and updated.

  • Science fiction chronology
    Remember all those events listed in science fiction over the years that didn't come to pass? Skynet hasn't destroyed the world, the Jupiter II was never launched, and it doesn't look likely that the moon will be blown out of obit anytime soon, either. Here is a (small but growing) list of such fictional "predictions". [Submissions greatly desired.]

  • Roman legions in science fiction
    Science fiction owes the Romans a huge debt, as anyone who is familar with Anderson's Flandry series, Asimov's Foundation, or Miller et al's Traveller knows. Every now and then I've stumbled across a book that uses Roman Legion nomenclature (e.g., Glen Cook's The Dragon Never Sleeps). This is a list of all the Roman Legions, with notations about where they have been mentioned in science fiction. [Submissions greatly desired.]

Essays about Science Fiction