dbernelle

Great Book, Great Narration!

Revisado: 01-18-18

I first read this and many other Heinlein books in high school, where I learned to love science fiction and come to realize that I was born hundreds of years too early (& later also learned from Heinlein - Stranger In A Strange Land), that I would have my chances for living in the future as time and my Soul’s life times allowed me to teach and be taught as I progressed through my many life times. If you want to know the plot of this book, find it easily almost anywhere. Just know that this book is excellent in many ways, the main character and storyline is ideal for an adolescent boy (no matter what his age) and that Audible provides the best manner of telling the story, with the best narration. This Audible Book served as a most enjoyable review of one of my first and most favorite SF books. Buy it and give it a listen, you won’t regret it and it’s well worth the price!

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Thou Art God - Waiting is, then Grokking becomes...

Revisado: 01-13-18

This is an excellent narration of a classic SF book which I first read my sophomore year in high school. I was 15 years old. This year holds my 67th birthday. As Jubal might say, “Having a book read to you rates most highly, right up there among having a bunch of grapes peeled and hand fed you by a beautiful creature.”

As I reflect back over this book and it’s effect on my spiritual life (I read it approximately 6 years after Heinlein wrote it, but in its abridged form, as did everyone else at that time), I realize now how much it agreed with my spiritual beliefs at that time.

I have spent my entire life working out the spiritual details and when, in 1989, both the abridged and unabridged versions of SIASL had their copyrights renewed by Virginia, Robert’s wife, only the unabridged version was printed going forth. I found even more Grokking of the whole - “waiting is.”

The reasons for the cuts in 1961, when first printed, was to seemingly prevent a cultural shock that was to be the 60’s anyway - the decade of hippies and love. So, looking back, I suppose Robert Heinlein helped the 60’s to blossom, rather than to shock the culture of the 60’s.

This wonderful narration of Stranger In A Strange Land is the unabridged version, published in its fullness in 1989, and today is still a beautiful, living work of art, which came to its fullness 29 years after it first came into public being - again, “waiting is.”

Had I a son or daughter (or any young adolescent friends), I would gift them a printed copy of this timeless book and follow that gift up with the gift of this very audiobook.

Now the least you can do is procure this audiobook for yourself and Grok it’s fullness for yourself, having read the book or not.

Thou Art God.

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Our Merry Band of Pirates Procceed

Revisado: 12-30-17

We are left wondering if Skippy (Elder Alien AI) is permanently disabled after asking his friend Joe Bishop, to become an “Honorary Monkey.” Skippy’s condition was brought about by an Elder AI virus. I can hardly wait to find out the outcome of our Merry Band of Pirates... I’m ready for book 5!

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Great continuation of the Expeditionary Force series of SF by C. Alanson

Revisado: 12-15-17

More “Rabbits out of the Hat” by the great crew of the Dutchman lead by Col. Joe Bishop with the help of the super intelligent Elder Race AI, Skippy.

Earth is protected (for now), but the “ Pirate Crew” of the Flying Dutchman have other needs to take care of, such as helping Skippy to help them to help the stranded UNEF Earth troop forces on the planet Paradise. Paradise UNEF troops have had to change sides (from the Kristang, to the Ruhar) and ditch their rifles and uniforms for hoes, shovels, & plows to grow food which Paradise humans are able to eat and thus adapt to stranded lives on Paradise, to live, to live, to multiply, & seek worth-while lives with their new friends on Paradise, the Ruhar. Humans and the Ruhar find out that they are more compatible than humans and the Kristang lizard race, who the humans of Earth and Paradise have found to be cruel with no compassion or mercy for any creature, including their own kind (Kristang “clan wars” are common and all Kristang “play dirty”).

The adventures are fresh, the science in sync, and the story lines never get stale. I think that the narrator, R.C. Bray is quite talented. He can easily flip accents between north-east Maine, France, Chinese, or the UK during a single conversation - not bad at all!!!

Now please excuse me, I’ve got to go and get started on the next book in the series! Enjoy!

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Second in Series - If You Liked First Book, You’ll LOVE This One Too!

Revisado: 12-09-17

Our “pirate crew” grows in number as the original crew is joined by more Earth volunteers that bring more talent and fire-power for the mission. The new crew become tighter, more practiced, and human beings and AI learn to appreciate and enjoy their relationships, friendships, and bring balance to their strengths and weaknesses...

The challenges (and laughs) continue for our “Merry Band of Space Pirates” who seek:
1) A working Elder communication node
for “Skippy” (the Elder created, “beer-
can” shaped AI) and
2) The permanent closure of a primary
worm-hole near Earth, making Earth
safer from fiendish, star faring
conquerors.

Col. Joe and his crew help Skippy, to help them, using “Skippy Magic” and human “monkey-brain” logic, to keep the humans safe during their travels, be able to defend themselves or attack along their travels, to not leave human DNA traces along their travel routes (for the bad guys to find and come attack Earth, again!), and for Skippy’s use of Elder tech to be able to close and re-route worm-holes along the way and ultimately on the way back to Earth, Skippy can permanently close the worm-hole nearest to “primitive Earth.”

Without the worm-hole nearest Earth, Earth becomes far enough out of the way using conventional, relativistic space travel, that travel to Earth is not worth the time, trouble, and expense for the star faring bullies. Thus Earth has time to advance their defensive space technology (well, that’s the plan anyway)!

Skippy learns to play nicer (sort of....). Regardless, Skippy’s respect for his human friend, Col. Joe Bishop, grows even though Skippy still can’t grasp how his “monkey-brained” friend has the innate ability to quickly foresee and avoid the holes in Skippy’s “superior logic,” hereby providing clean solutions for the problems and situations that they encounter while traveling, dodging, hiding, and fighting in their stolen Thuranin star ship.

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Great Book - Authentic Characters & Plenty of AI, Space, Science, & HUMOR!!!

Revisado: 12-09-17

This book has terrific planning, plots, sub-plots, current and future space science, exotic alien physiology and sociology, smart (& smart aleck!) AI, various exotic non-human space craft, & “SF realism” well supplied by the author, Craig Alanson and brought to life by the narrator, R.C. Bray!

Mr. Bray is a master of how to quickly “play” accents, just as someone would quickly switch to different musical instruments, changing accents, flipping to different colloquialisms, provides the “extra kicks” necessary to bring to life, this great book (the first of the series) and the book’s characters. This book made it hard for me to hit “pause” to re-enter my own, real life !

There is plenty of back-and-forth humor between the main character, Joe Bishop and his “beer-can shaped” alien AI friend, which kept me laughing as Joe’s human “monkey brain” ideas more often than not provided the “smooth frosting of success” to cakes cooked-up by the smart-aleck AI’s “magic-fairy dust” manipulation of space-time!

As a matter of fact, there’s plenty of humor throughout the book, providing a lasting, mutually beneficial team which helps humans and what’s left over of the AI’s Elder race.

This audio book hit me right in the middle of my “SF enjoyable spot.” If you want more details regarding the plot, take a look at some of the reviews based on plot. This review is based on how & why I enjoyed this great audiobook!!!

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Good SF Book - Could Be Good Adolescent SF Read

Revisado: 11-22-17

Very “real” and believable characters in this southern US passion of science fiction. Bad aliens chase good aliens, humans take up cause, special needs 19 year old becomes above “normal” and former childhood “girlfriend” becomes real GF - he has male competition, all the while deciding to enlarge his local, limited world to that of the needs of others, in spite of chasing aliens, but being aided by several A.I. Orbs. Good listen - read instead, if you “have to!”

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Enjoyable & Believable Tale Regarding the TR3-B

Revisado: 11-20-17

There is much talk of Tom DeLonge’s “To The Star Academy” & it’s ultimate goal(s).

This audio book was more enjoyable than the written book (mostly because having a book read to you is akin to having grapes peeled and fed to you). This book’s storyline mixes all the most popular suppositions with regard to NAZIs, Operation Paperclip, gravity modification, USAF/CIA black budget & compartmentalized military programs, Cabal “clubs,” UFOs, UAP, & writers/web bloggers in search of “The Truth.” If there will truly be “Disclosure” in regard to the existence of off-Earth Visitors, gravity modification space craft, Secret Space Programs, energy programs that cut our dependence on oil, and programs that link consciousness with technology, then perhaps Mr. DeLonge’s efforts, as well as those efforts of other folks that are calling for honesty to the public in regard to “The Phenomena,” will bring success. I don’t believe that there will ever be governmental Disclosure, as there would be too much “blame” aimed at the US government (plus, the government is “in the dark,” except for specific black ops projects).

Regardless, this is a great audio book - listen to it today!

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A Short Book Centered On SADEs

Revisado: 11-09-17

SADEs (Self Aware Digital Entities) are this book series’ names for AI entities at the heart of decision making and control of every Meridien star ship, home, city, and space station. These wonderful, tireless, and intelligent “servants” are trapped forever in boxes, vaults, and on starship decks, while the citizens of Haraken have chosen to allow their SADEs to become full citizens and even to inhabit mobile avatars of their own designs. The people of Meridien are forced to consider the same freedoms for their millions of SADEs when a young Meridien SADE kidnaps her star liner along with several Meridien House Leaders who are aboard during a trip to Haraken. Another great book spotlighting the potential freedom of these AI wonders with the help of President Alex Racine and the SADEs of Haraken!

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Great Series of Books, but...

Revisado: 11-08-17

Alex and friends return to fight new foes (even if personal freedoms and local laws are broken in the name of painting morales based on a single person’s view of “doing what’s right.”

I do love this series of books, but I also notice that it has become glaringly apparent that among this universe of 3 populated solar systems of humans (& 1 non-human species) that same sex attractions have only been mentioned perhaps 3 times, thus far, and each time, the same sex admirer was a woman criminal toward a non-receptive “bait” woman (police, army, security force, etc.). I won’t attempt to state “soft” statistics on the matter of human self-image vs. human sexual behavior, but I will mention that these books are all published post 2015, not 1915.

Before I fall off my soap-box (or perhaps be stun-gunned off), I’ll also state that the series of books has plenty of heterosexual parings (complete with children born out of wedlock), but there have been no marriages thus far in the entire series of books. What does this demonstrate? That an author can choose to paint any morale depictions that they desire, no matter how out of sync they might be with present day reality. After all, it is fiction, right?

Just be warned “in real life” that one should always consciously choose one’s actions, friends, and views toward others, rather than “follow the crowd,” even if it seems to be a “popular crowd.”

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