Science Fiction Story Fuel from Andy Zach author of Zombie Turkeys
What is Science Fiction Story Fuel? The fuel is science. I read science and technology all the time. I’ve loved science and technology since elementary school. In this blog post, I share my Science Fiction Story Fuel articles from the last couple of weeks. Let’s begin with:
I grew up reading Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. Did you know Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of YA novels?
Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter cover
The video shows the moon in great detail, rather like Heinlein’s book, Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, which I read in 2nd or 3rd grade.
Heinlein’s cover art wasn’t too far from the final lunar excursion suit:
The Apollo 11 space suit
The Next Science Fiction Story Fuel Link
Aside from the cool artistry, the facts behind the story are great: a rogue planet, 12.5 times larger than Jupiter, wandering between the stars. A rogue planet is one that doesn’t orbit a sun. A gaseous planet that large is the largest it can be and still be called a planet. At thirteen times the size of Jupiter, the gravitic pressure is great enough to begin fusion. Then the planet becomes a star, a brown dwarf, barely glowing.
Then we have this:
The commercialization of space travel is near and dear to my heart. Due to the influence of the libertarian Heinlein, I’ve always felt businesses had to get into space for the technology to really “take off”. Now it’s happening and we may see substantial progress over the next twenty years.
The last bit of science fiction story fuel is:
Every hard science fiction novel should push the current technology into the future. Each author has had good predictions:
Heinlein: waldos, robotic hands; social chaos beginning in the 90s; recreational space travel; commercialization of space technology.
Arthur C. Clarke: geosynchronous satellites; a space station docking with earth launched rockets
Isaac Asimov: statistics used to predict the future; interstellar spacecraft
What are your predictions for the future? If any come to pass, I’ll give you a free book! Reply to the blog below, or email me here.
New Zombie Book Review and More Hot News from the Internet
“Where’s my New Zombie Book Review ?” you ask. Right here! Author Wes Britton reviewed Paranormal Privateers, as he has Zombie Turkeys and My Undead Mother-in-law. Dr. Britton does another bang up job!
Without further ado, the New Zombie Book Review is next.
Paranormal Privateers: The Adventures of the Undead (Life After Life Volume 3) Andy Zach
Publisher: Jule Inc.; 1 edition (May 5, 2018)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B07CJP8FYP https://www.amazon.com/Paranormal-Pri…Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
Paranormal Privateers is my third go-around with author Andy Zack. First, I read his bizarre Zombie Turkeys (How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys) (2016). Next came My Undead Mother-In-Law (The Family Zombie with Anger Management Issues) (2017). As the titles suggest, Zack’s world of zombie animals and people aren’t meant to terrify readers. Instead, Zack is out to amuse and entertain us with the most unusual situations and scenes most of us will ever experience on the printed page.
Paranormal Privateers continues the weirdness with a handful of returning characters and the type of zombies few of us would want to kill, destroy, or dismember. They’re, for the most part, super-heroes with superior strength, resistance to diseases like cancer, and the ability to regenerate limbs and other body parts. These zombies don’t want to lose these abilities so they carry around vials of infected blood to make sure they have the means to become a zombie again in case somebody cures them.
This time around, a crew of zombies has a presidential commission and a super-yacht to take on missions the U.S. Military can’t. Their leader is the impatient Diane Newby, the “Undead Mother-in-Law” of the previous volume. She fiercely leads her comrades as they battle Somali pirates, Crimean human slavers, and London terrorists in Harrods department store with the aid of huge zombie bulls. (Talk about a bull in a china shop!)
New Zombie Book Review – Second Part
Then, a more serious scenario pulls together three storylines as the zombie team infiltrates a North Korean nuclear facility. One of these storylines centers on a North Korean defector who first becomes a zombie, then a Christian, and then he does his best to spread both in a prison camp.
Along the way, the heroic zombies and their human allies must suffer with the schemes of Sid Boffin, a 120-year-old criminal genius who wants to rule the earth and destroy all zombies with viruses carried on fly feet. Despite his efforts, Diane and her group fight on even after losing their zombie strength and regenerative abilities.
And then . . . we get an alien spaceship bringing powerful aliens to earth. It’s almost a completely different book from that point forward, beginning about 2/3 of the way in Paranormal Privateers.
All three volumes of the “Life After Life” series so far are fast-paced romps with minimal character development full of quirky humor and off-the-wall satire. While not billed as YA novels, I see no reason why young adults wouldn’t especially enjoy these yarns. There’s much about blogging, Skype, and other contemporary matters throughout all the adventures. How about a Kickstarter campaign to fund a cure for the anti-zombie virus? Political correctness? Say “paranormal people,” not “zombies.”
No reader needs to read the previous books to jump into the action, although it wouldn’t hurt to read My Undead Mother-in-Law first to get some character background. But all you need to get into the quirky world of Andy Zack is to have a healthy sense of humor and the willingness to travel to a world that never was and never will be.
I cruise the whole internet every day so you don’t have to! Here’s your daily fun.
I love hard science fiction! That’s sci-fi that doesn’t violate any known physical laws. Generally, it extrapolates from current, known technology. Many of the great SF writers were hard science fiction masters. What do you think? Let me know the in the comments, or send me a personal reply here. Best response gets a free ebook!
I grew up in the 60s during the Space Race between the US and the USSR. I read Heinlein, Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke throughout grade school and I’m tickled to see some of the predictions coming to pass, such as commercial space flight.
From science fiction, we go to fantasy. How would you like to have scales?
I might get a set to endure harsh reviews!
Now this next story bridges the gap between science and fantasy:
Naturally, turkeys feature prominently in my book Zombie Turkeys. In that book, you’ll find both wild and domestic turkeys going zombie. This video gives you the actual science that wild turkeys are tougher than domestic ones.
Your Chance to Create a New Zombie Book Review
By that, I mean you can review my books for fun and profit. Fun, because that’s the way they’re written. Profit, because if you promise to review one, I’ll send you an ebook!
To help you in reviewing books, consider this article on character-driven versus plot driven books:
Do you like books that focus more on character development or books that focus on action? Or, like me, do you want both? Please tell me in the comments, or send me nasty emails!
Finally, let’s finish as we began, with hard science fiction:
Next question, after reading the predictions above, is, do you agree? What do you think will happen in the next ten years? The next twenty? The next thirty? The best comment or email will then get a free ebook of your choice from me.
What a wonderful window into 19th century dime novels! These three novels, ‘The Steam Man of the Praire’ 1860, The Steam Horse 1877, and ‘The Electric Coach’ are steampunk fiction when it was just science fiction. They stretched was was possible with steam and electric power into wild adventures.
The first two novels have the heroes battling warring Indians and bandits, and counterfeiters. The third features Jesse James gang as the antagonists. The heroes are boy geniuses: 15-20 years old, experts in mechanical, steam, and electrical inventions. Their sidekicks are ethnic characters: the pugnacious, drinking Irishman; the wild frontiersman; the clever free black man.
Overall, I recommend these novels for those who love fast-paced adventure without expecting too much sophistication or literary depth. Also, if you’re offended by historic racial or ethnic stereotypes and slurs, don’t read them. But if you want a taste of the 19th-century steampunk before it became old-fashioned, this collection is for you.
With the third prequel of the series leading to the Honor Harrington series, David Weber and his co-authors, Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope, have written their best novel yet. ‘A Call to Vengeance’ is the most action-packed and the most riveting characters.
Lead characters Travis Long and Lisa Donnelly continue to progress within the Manticoran navy through innovative thinking and bold action, risking their lives. Meanwhile, shady politics combine with shocking plot twists, and ironic results to make this novel both tragic and comic.
Travis and Lisa face multiple antagonists, from bad guys on their own side to worse foes opposing Manticore, who compete with each other. The authors deftly portray three and four plot threads so the reader can see four points of view and anticipate the upcoming clashes.
This novel and this whole prequel series are must-reads for any fans of Honor Harrington. They portray the development of Manticore from an insignificant system to a dominant galactic power.
Rachel Aaron continues her Heartstriker series about the good dragon Julius Heartstriker and his mortal heartthrob, Marcia. Marcia happens to be a mage with a familiar spirit who appears as a glowing cat, sometimes, and a Roman soldier at other times.
Without providing spoilers to the previous books, let me just say this book is much more action-packed than the previous book with fewer dragon and human politics. Rachel reveals much more about the world and universe of magic, and world and universe ending threats.
Among her charming dragon characters are Qilin, the Chinese dragon emperor, and source of good and bad luck. Amelia, Julius’ eldest sister, dragon mage, and friend introduced in volume 2, ‘One Good Dragon Deserves Another’.
Then there’s Bob, Julius’ eldest brother and a dragon seer who sees the future and seeks to manipulate it for his own good. Interestingly, Julius is the center of all his plans.
Overall, this volume is a rollicking good ride of action and plot twists. Don’t miss it!
Once more, author Rachel Aaron has delighted me with her fifth novel in the Heartstrikers series. The premise is there is one good dragon, Julius, in the midst of the conniving, avaricious dragon race.
Here in the fifth novel, Julius must stop the end of the world–literally. An extradimensional being called Leviathan has been invited into the world and given permission to destroy it. Leviathan is a Nameless End, beings whose purpose is to devour old, worn-out planes of existence.
Julius must gather all the dragon clans to fight it. But they’ve never worked together before. Also, an alliance of Merlins must gather all the world’s magic to hurl at the beast. But it may not work.
I like Julius better in this book than any other, but I like his endlessly scheming older brother Bob even more. He thinks he’s found a way to cheat his own death.
Fans of Rachel Aaron need no convincing to read this book. If you’re starting the series, start with the first volume, ‘Nice Dragons Finish Last’.
Honor Harrington continues her derring-do against Manticorean enemies, small and great. But this novel contains several new wrinkles. You learn much more about the villains from Mesa and their nefarious schemes. There is also a major plot pivot in this story, from Haven to the Solarian League.
As usual, new technology is on display, rendering old technology obsolete. But all the new tech isn’t Manticorean–but their worst enemy now has an edge on them. But which of their many enemies is it?
I previously read this book soon after it was published. On a recent trip, I got to listen to the audiobook version.
It holds up very well as an audiobook! The voice actor performed the characters well and the atmospheric dread of impending doom came through well.
For those not familiar with Susan Cooper’s Dark Is Rising series, the premise is that history is a series of battles between the Lords of the Light and the Lords of the Dark. Into that is born the last ‘Old One’, as the Lords of the Light are called. Will Stanton is the seventh son of a seventh son and at eleven comes into his power as an Old One.
Throughout history, various objects of power have been made by the Lords of the Light for use at the final battle with the Dark, which is impending. Will, and then three Drew children, are used to find them.
This is a fine Young Adult series that may well become a five-star series. My standard is that the books must still be selling fifty years after publication. I’ll have to come back in 2050 and update my rating. Until then, read this series.
David Weber expands on his Honor Harrington universe. In this novel, Michelle Henke, an admiral in the Manticorean Navy, is off on a detachment to the Talbot sector. The sector recently became accessible to the Manticorean empire through the discovery of a new wormhole, the very valuable interstellar shortcut shaving weeks off distant interstellar trips.
The Talbot sector is on the fringe of the vast Solarian empire and home to corrupt Solarian officials using entire star systems as their personal fiefdoms for wealth. Further, the slavetrading Mesan system, a long-time Manticorean foe is also active here.
Michelle Henke, a superb tactician, and the cousin of the Queen of Manticore, Elizabeth III, encounters corruption, Mesan involvement, and a surprise Solarian super dreadnought fleet sent to punish the uppity Manticore Empire.
In an earlier book, a Solarian captain destroyed three Manticorean ships and all their personnel while they were at a neutral space station. Michelle destroys the cruisers with destroyers. This led to the super dreadnought onslaught.
You’ll have to read and find out how Michelle fairs against overwhelming odds and what happens next.
