Assemblers of Infinity

It has been a long time since I have read science fiction. Assemblers of Infinity is entertaining and does show plausibility in some of its technology. The premise is built around an invasion of nanocritters that begin to build a structure on the surface of the moon. Like many science fiction stories it relies on only one expert in the entire world to work on solving the problem, when a team approach would be more likely.

Despite that, this story was much more entertaining than similar stories, such as Prey by Michael Crichton. Crichton's story is more horror than science fiction and also unbelievable. He assigns a level of intelligence to nanites that is impossible. In Assemblers of Infinity the nanites are simply machines programmed by a higher intelligence determined to build a place suitable for their creators. The authors certainly set the story up for a sequel, but I am unsure if one exists.

And another pet peeve. I would think a major publisher would have better editing. On at least one page I found incomprehensible writing. A few sentences had been transposed from an earlier chapter followed by several mis-spelled words. This was a major editing mistake and I would be very upset if I was the author.

Book Rating: 3 Stars

The Doomsday Factor

This is a small story trying to be a big one. A man and boy try to fight the ultimate evil residing in a monkey that has traveled into deep space and back. On the surface it is similar to other sci-fi/horror stories like the movies Event Horizon or The Abyss. Instead of lots of death and horror, the two main characters receive visions that warn them of impending doom.

In this story the author chose to incorporate LDS (Mormon) theology into a sci-fi story. It is an interesting concept, but has difficulty in execution. If the reader is unfamiliar with Mormonism, they have to read through boring pages explaining it. If you are familiar with Mormonism, you have to read through boring pages explaining it. In other words, the author falls into the same trap as Tim LaHaye's Left Behind Series, where there are pages of preaching or doctrinal dissertation. The multiple transitions between the preaching and the story loses the reader and makes the story choppy and difficult.

I am all for using LDS/Mormon or religious characters in a sci-fi story. I even think using doctrinal concepts to explain sci-fi events is interesting. Few writers are able to do it well. One good example is Search for Fierra (Empyrion series) by Stephen R. Lawhead (not Mormon), although it has been a few years since I read it. I liked his incorporation of religious ideas.

Book Rating: 1 star for effort. I never did finish this book.

The Art of Civilized Conversation

I have made frequent conversational errors. The kind where you don't think before you speak or the kind where people don't know how to respond because they are in shock. The Art of Civilized Conversation was written for me.

While reading this, I became very self conscious of what was coming out of my mouth. I realized that I made many of the errors discussed in the book. Perhaps silence is better than speaking at all?

The second half the book gives very helpful advice for many social occasions where you may be at a loss for words or may face a difficult situation. A definite must read manual to prep for an event.

I did manage to apply some of her suggestions in a social situation. I was amazed at how much easier the conversation flowed. As the conversation concluded, I ended with a conversational error. I guess the art of conversation is a life long process!

Book Rating: 4 Stars - We all need more refinement in life.

A Gathering of Spies

The dust jacket of A Gathering of Spies makes a rather bold statement, "Every once in a while, a new thriller writer emerges with such an instant command of his craft that readers everywhere take notice."

For a debut novel, John Altman does all right. The story is fast paced and action packed. It is set in World War II and revolves around a female German spy. The British attempt to capture her and manipulate the Germans with their double agents. There is a lot of double cross and mystery.

The novel grabbed me almost instantly. I liked the clean writing of the author. He doesn't bog you down with lots of extranous details or unnecessary characters. Unfortunately, mystery and spy novels are not my favorite. I became bored about two thirds of the way through. I don't know how it turns out or finishes. If you like this genre, you might like this one. For me it was one to many double crosses and near death escapes.

I gave this book 3 stars for being entertaining, at least somewhat. The book does contain some violent moments. It is apparently out of print. An interesting note: The original edition of the book contains a dust jacket featuring a swastika. At some point the publisher changed that. In any event, you will probably have to find this book at a library.