Other Reviews 7

This science fiction novel is about an interstellar war between the Terran Confederation and the much larger star empire of the Masters.

Things are not going well for the Terrans. The Saurians (who do the actual fighting under the control of the masters) outnumber the Terran forces by several times. The Terran fleet is in bad shape. Geoffrey Knowland, whose father, Heath, runs the whole Earth defense effort, is authorized to take what's left of the fleet and go on the offensive. They begin to have an effect, destroying a base here, and an outpost there.

A million years ago, mankind had spread out among the stars, with colonies on a number of planets. They ran into a highly advanced race, the Others, who wiped out mankind's star empire, and caused an ice age on Earth. These surviving colonists evolved into separate humanoid societies. A resident of one of these societies, Alan Brakerman (his actual alien name is nearly unpronounceable), escapes from a Masters-ruled planet, and joins the Terran forces.

The Terran forces liberate a number of societies from the Masters, but the natives aren't exactly jumping for joy. Life was peaceful under the Masters, but it was also quiet. Scientific exploration was subtly suppressed, and even the birth rate was stagnant. The Komani, one of those societies, is totally based on war. They have a very hard time waiting for permission from Knowland to fight.

After causing major problems for the Saurians, and the Masters, the Terrans get a message from the Masters offering to sue for peace, each side can keep the territory it has. The Terrans decline the offer; the Masters may be bloodied, but they will regroup and wipe out the terran Confederation. The decision is made to take the fight to the home world of the Masters. When they meet an actual Master, the Terrans get more than they expected.

Sometimes, a person just has to read some old-fashioned space opera, full of interstellar space battles, where the outnumbered Earth forces bravely do battle against the implacable foe. This one is quite good.

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Ruva is a female baby giraffe happily living with her family in Africa. One day, she ignores the warning by her mother to stay away from things with which she is not familiar. Next thing she knows, Ruva is caught in a net, taken from her family, and put on a steamship heading for parts unknown. While on board, she meets Rodnetus von Stroheim III, a very smart talking rat, who begins tutoring Ruva in general knowledge. You never know when knowing the multiplication tables might be useful.

Ruva ends up at a third-rate zoo in California. Dante, the owner, is more interested in gouging the public than in taking care of the animals. It's a place of concrete and iron bars, and it does not help Ruva's frame of mind to be next door to the lions. Ruva is helped by knowledge of the Warm Place, the instinctive feeling that home is ... That Way.

Along with a lock-picking rat named Troll, and a cynical chameleon named Nelson (who has a really interesting talent when it comes to lions), Ruva breaks out of the zoo, and finds a ship headed for Africa. There they meet Jabir, a young black boy who is a servant/slave with his own reasons for wanting to go to Africa. They stowaway on the ship, joined by Rodentus, crewed by the Slopes, the same demons/trolls who kidnapped Ruva in the beginning.

Also on the ship is a crate of strangleweeds, a very fast growing plant that can suck a lake dry or pull down every tree in a forest very quickly. The Slopes plan something really unpleasant for the human, and animal, residents of Africa with the strangleweeds. Can Ruva and friends stop their evil plan? Does Ruva make it back her to her family?

This is an excellent book for children, and will certainly keep them interested. Teenagers and adults might notice a plot hole or two, but it is still worth reading.

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A powerful combine, called The Concern, has bought up all the magazines and newspapers in this unnamed northern country. The people are fed a constant diet of bland, meaningless nonsense. Anything that could cause people to be concerned or upset is removed. Whether it is a children's comic book or a women's magazine, there are lots of bright colors everywhere. Sometimes, the same pictures of children or puppies are used in different publications. Everything is edited and printed in the same thirty-floor skyscraper.

The building receives an anonymous, mailed bomb threat, and those in charge don't know what to do. After worrying that the disruption will be too costly, the decision is made to stage a fire drill, and the building is evacuated. When no explosion happens, Inspector Jensen of the Sixteenth Division is given the task of finding out who sent the bomb threat. His boss, the Chief of Police, intentionally does not want to know what's going on. Jensen has one week in which to crack the case, and he cannot let anyone in the skyscraper know what he is doing. That might cause them to become nervous or fearful, something which is practically a criminal offense. His investigation leads to the nearly-mythical thirty-first floor of the building, which few have seen, home to the Special Department.

I can only give this a rating of Pretty Good. It has some really good utopian ideas in it, but I guess Swedish police novels (where this was first published) are a lot different than American police novels. It reads like a cross between 1984 and an episode of the police show Dragnet; Inspector Jensen is a person of very few words.

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Brian Mauretti is the second child of Jan Mauretti, and her hisband, Frank, residents of Rhode Island. For his first few months, while he is breast fed, everything is fine. When Jan switches him to a supposedly organic, soy-based, bottle formula, Brian's condition collapses. It starts with constant diarrhea and inability to sleep, and goes downhill from there. Her pediatrician says not to worry. After six months of this, another pediatrician diagnoses Brian's condition.

The formula maker intentionally removed the salt from the formula, allegedly to make it more healthy. A newborn baby needs certain minerals, including salt, every day. The lack of salt has done major damage to brian's frontal lobe; he will never be able to walk or talk on his own.

After the tears and anger, Jan's mother, Mama, the family matriarch (as New England Italian as they come), dismisses the bleak diagnosis from the doctor. She tells the family that the number one priority is helping Brian to reach his full potential. Dissent will not be tolerated. It takes several years, but Brian does learn to walk and talk. He thrives in the Rhode Island Special Olympics.

If any of the local kids start teasing Brian, or just look at him the wrong way, Russ, his older brother, has no problem with pounding that person into a bloody pulp. As the years go on, the family experiences the same trials and tribulations that happen in any family. Jan and Frank's marriage does not survive; one daughter of Jan's sister Bev declares that she is gay, while the other marries a black man. Mama takes the news much better than does Bob, Bev's husband. Mama is slowing down, but doesn't tell anyone in the family that she has cancer.

This may sound like a cliche, but do whatever is necessary (and legal) to get a copy of this book; you owe it to yourself. If purchasing it is not possible, then ask your local library to get a copy. When life gets difficult, a person sometimes needs an old-fashioned inspirational story about things like love and faith and hope. Here is that story.

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A central concept of the Law of Attraction is that "like attracts like"; we attract people and situations that correspond with our dominant thoughts. Negative thoughts attract negative events, while positive thoughts attract positive events.

You need to get in the habit of saying positive things to yourself each day; it all comes down to beliefs and attitudes. It is going to take practice, but it is very much worth it. The book gives plenty of examples of things to say to yourself; the actual words are not as important as the attitude behind them. For instance, don't focus on getting a million dollars. Focus instead on the peace and freedom you will feel when you no longer have to worry about whether or not you can pay the monthly bills. Focus instead on the joy you will feel from contributing to a local organization that helps people in need.

Most people are much too impatient when it comes to the Law of Attraction. They ask for a million dollars, look around and ask "Where's the money?" Then they convice themselves that it doesn't work, get angry and sullen, and all that negative energy flowing out of them attracts more negative energy to them. Let go and trust that the universe will fulfill your request when it thinks is the right time, not when you think is the right time.

Most people also want to fix all their problems at once. They want a million dollars, and the willpower to lose 50 pounds, and a fancy car, and a fabulous vacation... Slow down and take one thing at a time. Instead of jumping from a state of constantly stressing about money to having a million dollars, start small. Ask for enough money to pay your monthly bills. When that is covered, ask for a little more, then a little more and work your way up to a million dollars.

You cannot remove all stress and negative people from your life, but you certainly can control your reactions to them. The book tells what to say to yourself to let go of that negative energy, to turn that frown upside down. The book also covers what to do if you "stumble," or if, despite your best efforts, you can't help but think that is not working.

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The first step is to put your dreams and wishes on paper. Don't worry if they are too big, or not "appropriate," putting them on paper and hanging the list where you can read it several times a day, is much more powerful than just saying it to yourself.

The second step is to donate to charity. Clearing out clutter, and giving it to Goodwill or the Salvation Army, shows that you are making room for the good things that the universe will send your way. Donating money, with no expectation of getting repaid, is much more powerful, and shows that you are confident that the universe will financially "take care of you." It certainly does not have to be a huge donation; even 10 dollars a month is very reasonable. The joy you feel at financially helping someone in need; that's the important part.

Finally, join or start a mastermind group. It sounds sinister, but it is actually a group of 6 or 7 people who meet regularly to help each other access the Law of Attraction (strength in numbers). The meetings can be in person, by phone or over the Internet. The book gives details on how to run the meetings. As with any group, those who don't take it seriously, or are frequently absent, should be quietly dropped.

There will be days when, despite your best efforts, it does not seem to be working. Set aside a day where you pledge not to say anything negative about anyone or anything. If that is not possible, start with an hour at a time. Changing your beliefs and attitudes, to be a more positive person, will take practice, but it is very much worth it. Another idea is to pretend that all your dreams and wishes have been fulfilled. Write a letter to God, Spirit, the Universe, etc., saying thank you for your good fortune.

It does not get much easier than this. It is very easy to read and follow, it is full of information that anyone can use, and is greatly recommended.

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In the 34th century, humanity has lost the war against vampires from the planet Migra, and have been exiled to Regnum, a giant spaceship in Earth orbit. The vampires, living on Earth, plan to harvest the humans for their blood. John Howe is the "President" of Regnum. His nephew, Alex, has grown up in the shadow of his famous father, who united the scattered remnants of humanity, and whom Alex never knew. Alex graduates from college, as valedictorian, has a girlfriend, Angel, and is about to become a father.

Some of the vampires, the Rebels, fought with humanity during the war, Afterwards, they were denied permission to join humanity in orbit; they have been systematically murdered until there are only a handful left. Alex learns, one day, that he is the long-prophesied Falsifier, who will bring about the end of the vampires. The vampires know this, too. Alex is kidnapped and taken to Earth. The kidnapping is not a complete surprise; one of the Rebels is a good friend of Howe, and has assured him that no harm will come to Alex. Killing him will not affect the prophecy.

The vampires give humanity an ultimatum: Disarm immediately, or it's war. Humanity responds with an ultimatum: Release Alex, or it's war. Meantime, Alex has been learning a lot about the prophecy, and gaining a great deal of power. John Howe practically forces the Regnum Senate to give him dictatorial powers to fight the war that everyone knows is coming. Does Alex fulfill his prophecy to end the reign of the vampires? What happens in the final battle between humanity and the vampires?

This is a really interesting novel that touches on a number of subject, including very ancient history, religion and racial prejudice. Yes, it's very much worth reading.

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