One of my favorite questions to ask authors is to share with me the inspiration for their stories. It seems like such an obvious question, but the more I ask it, the more I am inspired and impressed with the creativity and ability of good writers to create new worlds. One such author is Freya […]
Review | The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die by Niall Ferguson
2013-10-30 · by ·
One of the most interesting books I’ve read in recent years was Niall Ferguson‘s Civilization: The West and the Rest, an examination of the extraordinary rise of Western Civilization relative to the rest of the world and the causes that seem to be at the root of its apparent decline. Ferguson’s newest book–The Great Degeneration: […]
Why so quiet?
2013-10-28 · by ·
We’re moving! Our stuff, that is, not the blog. If you’ve wondered why it’s been quiet around Attack of the Books! lately, the short answer is that we’ve been moving. We found a new home just around the corner but still in the Salt Lake City, Utah area, and we’re moving our operation there. Books […]
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson is an exciting twist on superheroes…and supervillains [Review]
2013-10-19 · by ·
Steelheart, first in the Reckoners series, may have the broadest appeal of Brandon Sanderson’s growing variety of imaginary worlds. At a time when Marvel and DC turnout multiple blockbusters at the movie theater each year–think The Avengers, Iron Man, the Dark Knight, and Man of Steel–interest in superheroes is at an all time high and […]
Review | The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
2013-10-12 · by ·
How does one rate a book published thirty years ago, by an author considered among the greats of our day, and that commences one of the most read and popular series in recent times? The Color of Magic introduces us to Discworld, a series that has grown to include forty novels. Given that I didn’t […]
Review | Rejiggering the Thingamajig by Eric James Stone
2013-10-07 · by ·
Go buy this book. Buy it, put it by your bed, or desk, or chair, or couch, or where ever you like to read, and then read it. But don’t read it straight through. Stop at the end of each story, set your head back on your pillow/headrest/cushion/ground and enjoy the warm sense of wonder […]
Which Banned Book Week books have you read?
2013-09-26 · by ·
This is Banned Book Week. Have you read a banned book before? With no small amount of curiosity, I set out to discover what qualifies as a banned book. I was curious to see what books end up getting banned and somewhat surprised to find that books of a quality both high and low end […]
Review on an unfinished book | Psychoshop by Alfred Bester and Roger Zelazny
2013-09-24 · by ·
Life is just too short. Let’s be completely honest: we all pick up books for various reasons. A recommendation from a trusted friend. It was up front in the airport bookshop. Written by a favorite author. A great cover. I picked up Psychoshop because it was written by Alfred Bester. I was at Powell’s in […]
Review | Schlock Mercenary: Under New Management by Howard Tayler
2013-09-23 · by ·
Schlock Mercenary: Under New Management, and its author Howard Tayler, is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Wait–hold that thought. It’s not completely true. Yes, it’s unique, a veritable cornucopia of creative energy and humor, entertaining and–dare I say?–educational at the same time. But it is also reminiscent, in so many happy ways, of the […]
Review | A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
2013-09-19 · by ·
Exciting, clever, and perfectly suited for the twelve-year old boy in your home, A World Without Heroes is the first of three in Brandon Mull‘s Beyonder series. The Goodreads blurb for A World Without Heroes is pretty blase and underwhelming, summarizing a plot that sounds not unlike a dozen other adolescent books. A child or teen, […]
