Prophets - great space opera

What: Prophets - Apotheoisis Book 1

Who: S. Andrew Swann

When: Published March 3rd 2009 

It's been nearly 200 years since the collapse of the Confederacy, the last government to claim humanity's colonies. So when signals come in revealing lost human colonies that could shift the power balance, the race is on between the Caliphate ships and a small team of scientists and mercenaries. But what awaits them all is a threat far beyond the scope of any human government.

This is an excellent book. This is the first book by this author for me. I picked it up because of how highly recommended he is. I can see why after reading this!
Plenty of action, good characters and a good plot with some great twists and turns. There's humans, aliens, advanced AI things and all of the good stuff. It's got all of the elements that I like in a good space opera. Like some other reviewers have said, it felt similar reading to Peter F. Hamilton's Nights Dawn trilogy - only shorter. Which, I will add, is not a bad thing. The right length to fit it all in without being too long (my only real complaint with some of PFH's novels).
Anyway, I've launched straight into the second book of the trilogy (Heretics) because I couldn't wait and am looking forward to continuing with this great story.
Well worth the time reading. There was nothing that I didn't like. Highly recommended.

 Click on the book cover to find out more at Goodreads. 

10/10 

New Steve Harris album!

What: Music

Who: Steve Harris

When: September 2012

Legendary bassist and Iron Maiden mastermind Steve Harris will soon release his debut solo album, ‘British Lion.’ In between Iron Maiden releases and tours, Harris has been spending his time writing the upcoming disc, which promises to bring a multi-dimensionally heavy experience to listeners.

Harris recorded ‘British Lion’ with longtime Iron Maiden producer Kevin Shirley at the helm. Shirley has teamed up with Maiden in the studio for every album since the 1999 return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith, including the ‘Rock in Rio,’ ‘Death on the Road,’ ‘Flight 666′ and ‘En Vivo!’ live recordings. Shirley has also worked with rock legends such as Led Zeppelin, Rush and Slayer.

The bassist explains the title of his solo ‘British Lion’ album on Iron Maiden’s Facebook page. “I’ve always been proud to be British,” explains Steve, “I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be. It’s a massive part of being me. It’s not like I’m flag-waving or trying to preach, this is not a political statement at all. It’s like supporting your football team, where you come from. I just think it lends itself to some really strong imagery too, and to me it fits in with the sound.”

A release date for ‘British Lion’ has not yet been revealed, but the 10-song album is set to melt your face soon. Stay tuned for more news on ‘British Lion.’

Track Listing:

1. This Is My God
2. Lost Worlds
3. Karma Killer
4. Us Against The World
5. The Chosen Ones
6. A World Without Heaven
7. Judas
8. Eyes Of The Young
9. These Are The Hands 
10. The Lesson 

Can't wait! 

Managing your Ebooks

What: Ebook management software
Who: Kovid Goyal
When: Right now!

I'm into ebooks, read them on a Kindle and use Calibre to manage them all.

This software does everything. It converts between ebook formats, read ebooks, edit the meta data and change cover images. You can even configure Calibre to email books to your device. This feature is particularly useful with the Amazon Kindle.

There is really nothing that this program cannot do. Head on over the the Calibre website and check out the features.

My rating

10/10 

Extraterrestrial Life on the moons of Mars?

The moons of Mars may be the first place we find extraterrestrial life.

Read on...

Book Preview: Great North Road

What: Great North Road
Who: Peter F Hamilton
When: Published September 2012

 New York Times bestselling author Peter F. Hamilton’s riveting new thriller combines the nail-biting suspense of a serial-killer investigation with clear-eyed scientific and social extrapolation to create a future that seems not merely plausible but inevitable.

 A century from now, thanks to a technology allowing instantaneous travel across light-years, humanity has solved its energy shortages, cleaned up the environment, and created far-flung colony worlds. The keys to this empire belong to the powerful North family—composed of successive generations of clones. Yet these clones are not identical. For one thing, genetic errors have crept in with each generation. For another, the original three clone “brothers” have gone their separate ways, and the branches of the family are now friendly rivals more than allies.

Or maybe not so friendly. At least that’s what the murder of a North clone in the English city of Newcastle suggests to Detective Sidney Hurst. Sid is a solid investigator who’d like nothing better than to hand off this hot potato of a case. The way he figures it, whether he solves the crime or not, he’ll make enough enemies to ruin his career.

Yet Sid’s case is about to take an unexpected turn: because the circumstances of the murder bear an uncanny resemblance to a killing that took place years ago on the planet St. Libra, where a North clone and his entire household were slaughtered in cold blood. The convicted slayer, Angela Tramelo, has always claimed her innocence. And now it seems she may have been right. Because only the St. Libra killer could have committed the Newcastle crime. 

Problem is, Angela also claims that the murderer was an alien monster.
Now Sid must navigate through a Byzantine minefield of competing interests within the police department and the world’s political and economic elite . . . all the while hunting down a brutal killer poised to strike again. And on St. Libra, Angela, newly released from prison, joins a mission to hunt down the elusive alien, only to learn that the line between hunter and hunted is a thin one.

Can't wait for this one! Hopefully a bit more worth waiting for than Redshirts...