Reviews and Comments

A true classic. Larry Niven's work still holds up well. The only aspect that might date it is the few references to "tapes" with regard to a visual storage medium. I was surprised that so many questions went unanswered such as who built the thing and why considering the book was not intended to be a series. Still, that does not distract from the story which is very solid. The one part about Teela Brown wanting to remain on the Ringworld with a guy she just met and doesn't even know much of his language because she 'loves him' seemed a little far. One could argue this is because of her 'luck'. Still, how would she know? Then again, luck I suppose. Of course so many plots have been centered on 'love at first sight'. It is nothing new.

Regardless it is a great read for anyone that enjoys a solid science fiction story.

A fun techno-adventure novel that I enjoyed a great deal. A top secret CIA mission from space is returning (Nighthawk) and the control system starts having issues. They are certain it landed somewhere, but they need to get to it before anyone else. And a CIA agent is assigned to Kurt's tail watching his every move. Is there something she is not telling him and his team? The humor had me laughing out loud in several spots. The banter between the characters is great. The "Mole" situation was my favorite humorous moment (you will know it when you see it). Several twists I did not expect (which is a good thing). The language was clean and in short a fun read and well worth one's time if they enjoy adventure novels with fun characters, interesting setting (I guessed wrong on what the Nighthawk was actually carrying), and several other twists along the way. I am looking forward to the next NUMA book.

A ship sinks due to pirates and Kurt interviews. But this was no ordinary pirates since they sink the whole ship in such a short period. Normally they take the goods and run, but instead these methodically sink the ship as fast a possible. Then Kurt and Joe are in the middle of a underwater race when some sort of disturbance threatens to crash them into a large tower of rock, making a new discovery in the process. Yet, someone is watching Kurt's every move waiting for the right moment to strike. Someone Kurt has had previous dealings with long ago.

As usual the humor between Joe and Kurt is wonderful as is the other character interactions. I didn't like this particular story-line as much as other books I have read in the NUMA series. The ending felt too short. I can't put my finger on it, but it felt like something was missing. Regardless, I still enjoyed the book and it is a worthy addition to the "NUMA Files".

I have read a plethora of marketing or publishing books intending on guiding the author on their publishing journey and this is one of the few I have found truly enjoyable with real-world information. Granted, most of the text was written as a series of question and answer articles back in the mid 90's but it has been updated with side notes whenever the information is out of date.

The problem I find is most such books these days are 70% pep-talk with 25% upsell to their other products (online courses being most common now), and 5% real information. This book by contrast has no interest in upselling or hand-holding. Resnick says more in one line, than most of those books said in several chapters. I liked his direct. no-nonsense approach and I wish more did the same.

Some have mentioned that the book is repetitive. While some of it is, you have to keep in mind it was a question and answer column in a magazine. Hence, if his readers kept asking the same questions, he answered them. Although after a bit he starts saying to read the previous columns. And he when he does repeat, he takes the opportunity to offer new nuggets of information pertaining to publishing today.

The insight he gives is fascinating to writers. Being traditionally published for his long career, he tends to promote the traditional method of publishing. Although he admits how publishing has changed, especially the stigma of self-publishing. He doesn't say independent publishing is a path to avoid, but rather it is a very difficult one. He suggests traditional publishing is still the best method, especially if you are going after recognition in the industry. But then again he admits that is also changing. Either way he offers insights in what to watch out for, and when to abort discussions.

While geared towards the science fiction author, I would suggest this book to anyone that is thinking of being a professional writer. It is filled with a lot of little nuggets of information that many others do not cover (at least the ones I have read). And this book does not try to upsell you on other products or sugarcoat the writing profession as most of them do.

This an interesting story about the idea if one found themselves downloaded into a computer, how would it feel? While there are many science fiction books covering this type of story line, it often does not cover the feeling of waking up. Or how their some of their perceptions have changed, while others remained constant. What are the advantages, real disadvantages, and dangers? Is she really in the computer? Or is it only a copy? Is she still a human or something else? As a reader these questions take some time to answer as the story unfolds.

The descriptions are well done without getting excessive. The pacing is also good and you find yourself flowing from page to page. The main characters are well defined, although I found myself wondering about a few others. While the air of mystery around them worked well, I would have added more details. The only complaint, if you could call it that, is it felt rather short. Of course this is aimed at YA, therefore short is more common. Short but good.

I would certainly give this to a young adult with an interest in science fiction, and especially computers. I think anyone (young adult or not) with such interests will find this an enjoyable read.

I found this book very interesting and I enjoyed it. However it is not for everyone. And not every "Star Trek" fan either. Taking place back during the time of the original Enterprise (in the original universe) with Doctor McCoy, it is a deep dive into the history and culture of the Romulans.

It starts off in the "present" and draws the reader in and keeps them guessing for a while wondering what is going on. Then it alternates between the present and "history" chapters. While necessary, the history sections do feel like a history lesson than a experience. But as I said, without them the reader would be wondering about the choices the characters make. There are some surprise characters, and how McCoy gets away is very unique. It also gives more details with regard to the first contact the Federation has with the Romulans. And this seems to be different than most other accounts.

One comes away with a different feel of the Romulans after reading this book (like any culture they have their good and bad points). But as I said, it is not for everyone.