History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Average customer rating:

One thousand pages of mediocrity revolving around an incomprehensible plot
Warning: Three books in one
I can't see how you could hate this book!
Heinlein influence?
A great read!

The Planet Pirates

Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671721879

Book Description

In Generation Warriors, the list of people who will save the galaxy is not a long one, but together the might and wisdom of them cannot be thwarted. Lunzie, Fordelition, Dupaynil, Aygar and Sassinak work to stop disaster. Sassinak, the novel, tells how Sassinak was only twelve years old when the raiders came. Despite her youth she remembered them and resolved to take revenge on the pirate who killed her parents and friends. In The Death of Sleep, Lunzie Mespill always knew that the "planet pirates" were capable of doing horrible things, but she truly believed nothing would ever happen. Then, the pirates attack the space liner she's on. She thinks fast and decides to spend some time in cryogenic stasis while awaiting rescue.

Customer Reviews:

One thousand pages of mediocrity revolving around an incomprehensible plot.......2007-08-18

The science fiction trilogy is a classic and venerable form, one that has given us everything from the original Foundation books to Star Wars. But the three books collected into "The Planet Pirates" don't deserve to be entered on the list of those classic trilogies. In fact, the lack of a coherent plot, compelling conflict, or any interesting prose makes the very existence of this re-issued volume perplexing.

One of the problems is no doubt that one of the books was written by a different team than the other two, which makes it easy to introduce inconsistency. It undoubtedly also didn't help that they were written in a topsy turvy chronological order, with the middle book published first, the first book published second, and the third book published last. But whatever the logistical issues, the result is boring to the point of tears.

Read in order, the book introduces us first to Lunzie, a medic who is marooned in space and forced into hibernation for so long that her only daughter is grown when she awakes. She spends the first half of the book getting re-certified as a doctor while awaiting word of her offspring. It is here that there is also an awkwardly introduced and logically inconsistent fear of "heavworlders", humans genetically modified to live on high-g planets. (One annoying detail among many is that these humans are portrayed as huge, when they would logically be much smaller than normal.) When Lunzie locates her daughter she ventures into space again, and is once again marooned in "cold sleep", and when she awakes her daughter has moved to a different planet. Instead of chasing her down Lunzie visits her descendants, joins the military, goes on a scouting mission to a new world and is stranded in cold sleep by heavyworlders conspiring to break a vegetarian taboo. If that last bit sounds random and unmotivated, I assure you that reading the book will not make it less so.

The second book is the closest to being acceptable among the three, and tells the story of Sassinak, a great-great granddaughter of Lunzie. Her family is killed and she is sold into slavery by "planet pirates". Her escape and growth into the captain of a warship dedicated to stopping the trade did generate some interest, but not enough to overcome...

The third book, wherein Lunzie and Sass are united and form a complex plan to defeat planet piracy that involves sending a security officer on a fleet ship that just happens to have conspirators aboard, letting Sass's second in command visit his distant aunt who for some reason has vital information, and having Lunzie go to a high-g world to have sexually fraught interactions with people she is constantly afraid are going to rape her. Sass, obviously, travels to the home world of the Federation and is involved in a bar fight and a resistance movement featuring both sewers AND students. This last book is so incomprehensible, so disconnected from everything that came before, that you almost wonder if you missed something in the previous two. Why are we suddenly in the head of Ford, Sass's first officer? And Dupaynil, the intelligence agent? And who are these aliens who apparently have figured vitally into the whole picture? For all that the three books total nearly a thousand pages, the resolution is hurried and the logic so shaky as to invite disbelief.

Warning: Three books in one.......2006-07-18

I really enjoyed reading this book. In fact, I've read it several times, but I wanted to warn people that it is actually a reprint of 3 separate books: The Death of Sleep, Sassinak, and Generation Warriors. That being said, I was glad I stumbled on this version first, because it meant I didn't have to run out to the store each time I finished one of the novels.

I especially liked Lunzie's storyline. She is cryogenically frozen and has to cope with re-learning how to exist in society. Consider the learning curve someone from the 1950's would have if they woke today. And that is only a 50 year jump. She was out for almost 100!

The plot in this and Dinosaur Planet overlap, but I had some trouble with the continuity between the two. I liked this version better. (Probably because I read it first.)

I recommend this to fans of Elizabeth Moon, David Weber and Lois McMaster Bujold. The science fiction enhances the story, rather than replacing it. Jody Lynn Nye can be a little too fantasy oriented in her science fiction (I'm thinking flying talking frogs(?) from one of the Ship Who Sang books), but she is much more serious and does a very good job on this one.

I can't see how you could hate this book!.......2004-01-12

This series is so great that I was able to read it all in 3 days! I have re-read it so many times I could almost tell you the plot by heart. I highly recommend this book to everyone who likes sci-fi and adventure.

Heinlein influence?.......2002-09-19

Anyone besides me notice the similarities between "Sassinak" and "Citizen of the Galaxy" by Robert Heinlein? Thorby and Sassinak both become orphaned slaves at a young age, both are befriended by former members of the space navy, both are programmed with information to be disseminated only to certain designated individuals, under very defined conditions. I love McCaffrey's books, have for years, just wondering if I'm imagining things with this one...

A great read!.......2001-02-25

I have read Anne McCaffery's books for years now and this one was one of her greats. Granted there are no dragons as her books usually have but don't let that stop you. One of the best books by her that I have ever read and I have many of hers from the Dragon Riders to Acorna and out of all those books, these three are the best read of all hers. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed reading this book. I believe that I've read it about 4 or 5 times now and it still can't put it down when I start it again. A dangerous book to be sure. Enjoy!

Average customer rating:

More, please! More!
mega authors in publishing shame scandal!
Loose and Rather Limp
Sassinak
The WHOLE story

Sassinak (Planet Pirates, Vol 1)
Anne McCaffrey , and Elizabeth Moon
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 067169863X

Customer Reviews:

More, please! More!.......2006-08-27

My goodness. All these years - decades, I'm fairly certain - after I read McCaffrey's DINOSAUR PLANET and DINOSAUR PLANET SURVIVORS, here's a book giving that story's cliffhanger ending a decent resolution! I had no clue about this when I started reading SASSINAK, though. It was simply one more of this novel's pleasant surprises.

Title character Sassinak, whose single name is often shortened to Sass or Sassy, definitely belongs more to the Elizabeth Moon school of heroines than to that of the more traditional McCaffrey. No one ever suggests to Sassinak (who would dare?) that she's really not fulfilled as she ought to be in her life as a Fleet officer, for lack of a husband and babies. Nor does anyone suggest that her traumatic background, kidnapped at age 12 and then held captive for several years by pirates who murdered her whole immediate family, makes her emotionally damaged goods unfit for starship command. Sass's life is about challenges, and what she does with challenges is overcome them.

There's action and adventure in plenty here, but basically SASSINAK is character-driven military sci-fi at its best. Sassinak has just the right mix of confidence and conscience to make her seem utterly real, and the characters surrounding her also have depth enough for credibility. I especially enjoyed the plot twist at the book's ending, which left me hoping for - heaven help me - a sequel. I would love to read more about Sassinak and her universe, and that's as a high a compliment as I can pay two of my favorite authors.

Note: On arriving at Amazon to post this review, I've discovered that there IS more! Happy dance time!

mega authors in publishing shame scandal!.......2005-05-13

How Mccaffrey and Moon didn't die from embarrassment when this was published I'll never know. Perhaps they didn't actually read it? Perhaps the editors just relied on the wonderful reputations of the authors and didn't actually read it? I recommend you do the same and don't actually read it. Pick any book in the Honor Harrington series instead if you wish to see how this story should have been written. Note to self: once your reputation is made as a mega author, you can make money from publishing eclectic drivel.

Loose and Rather Limp.......2004-03-29

I read this book because I had just finished Moon's Heris/Esmay series and wanted more. I was pretty disappointed. While the premise of this novel was a good one-- slave girl turning her life around to rise up in Fleet-- it didn't live up to its potential.

The novel is divided into four parts, and in part one, the plot starts out steadily enough. I actually devour all of Parts one and two in a matter of hours. But then, in my opinion, the plot starts to slow down. The storyline loosens, and if you pay attention, you can find loopholes everywhere. The authors also don't do that great a job of advancing character development. As a result, a lot of loose ends are left hanging, not in a good way either. For instance, take the way it was insinuated that Sass and Ford had had a previous relationship and that they might re-enter that even though Sass didn't feel ready for it. The authors never really followed up with that thought.

Its stuff like that that makes this book a big disappointment. Both McCaffrey and Moon are much better authors than this work seems to suggest.

Sassinak.......2002-10-04

This book is of the type you read when there is nothing else available and someone gave it to you. The holes in the plot are wide enough for spaceships to fly through, and it shows McCaffrey's often-seen tendency to not follow through a logical sequence. Moon actually can write military s-f of the softer sort with better plotting than this. Read any (ALL!) of her Heris Serrano or Esmay Suiza books to find out how this sort of thing should be done.

The WHOLE story.......2002-01-19

Sassinak on its own is a pretty good story, but there are a few holes in it, and it doesn't seem finished... Almost like it is just a chapter in a bigger book.

Well it is. To get the whole story you need to read: The Death Of Sleep by Anne McCaffery and Jody Lynn Nye followed by Dinosaur Planet and Dinousar Planet Survivors, both by Anne McCaffery. Then Sassinak and finaly Generation Warriors. (Also by Anne McCaffery and Elizabeth Moon.)

That way you can read the WHILE story, starting with the first time Lunzie gets shipwrecked till they all save the known universe, almost by accident. You'll have to read the books to see how they do it! The books are all tied together and you get to see some of the same scenes from different points of view.

Book Description

The shimmering, cloud-covered planet of Venus conceals a wondrous secret: the strikingly beautiful yet deadly world of Amtor. In Amtor, cities of immortal beings flourish in giant trees reaching thousands of feet into the sky; ferocious beasts stalk the wilderness below; rare flashes of sunlight precipitate devastating storms; and the inhabitants believe their world is saucer-shaped with a fiery center and an icy rim. Stranded on Amtor after his spaceship crashes, astronaut Carson Napier is swept into a world where revolution is ripe, the love of a princess carries a dear price, and death can come as easily from the blade of a sword as from the ray of a futuristic gun.

Pirates of Venus is the exciting inaugural volume in the last series imagined and penned by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This commemorative edition features new illustrations by Thomas Floyd, the original frontispiece by J. Allen St. John, an afterword by Phillip Burger, a glossary of Amtor terms by Scott Tracy Griffin, a map of Amtor drawn by Edgar Rice Burroughs that appeared in the first edition, and an introduction by acclaimed science fiction and horror novelist F. Paul Wilson.

Customer Reviews:

In Defense of Carson Napier.......2006-06-28

This was the first book in Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Carson of Venus" series. It was the last major series that ERB created, 20 years after he created "John Carter of Mars". In this book, Carson Napier builds a rocketship and sets out for Mars, but ends up on Venus. He has a series of episodic adventures, and falls in love with a beautiful princess along the way (which happens in just about every ERB book). Fun stuff, if you are a fan of this sort of thing.

ERB's hero Carson Napier aims for Mars, lands on Venus..........2004-08-05

Originally serialized in "Argosy" in 1932, "Pirates of Venus" is the first story in the fourth longest series of pulp fiction adventures written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan is the longest, with Mars and Pellucidar coming in second and third). The authorial conceit this time around is that Carson Napier visits ERB before heading off to Guadalupe Island where he has a rocket ship in which he intends to travel to Mars. Carson establishes a telepathic link with Burroughs, which will allow him to communicate his adventures from afar. This becomes helpful, especially when Carson's rocket ship takes off for Mars and the adventurer discovers that he forgot something: namely the gravitational effects of the moon. However, in one of the great strokes of luck in science fiction history this ends up sending Carson and his rocket ship to Venus instead. The planet is said to be uninhabitable, but Carson has no other choice and when the rocket enters the dense atmosphere he jumps out in a parachute. Carson's luck continues because the air is indeed breathable and soon he is having a series of adventures on the planet's surface and meets up with the beautiful Duare. If you have read a lot of ERB's novels you know two things are going to happen between these two, namely that he will fall in love with her and at the end of the novel they will be separated by tragic circumstances (to be continued).

"Pirates of Venus" is a straightforward ERB adventure on one level, but you can also read it as a thinly disguised political satire aimed at the communists. This would be the bit about the Thorists, who start a revolution for their own benefit in which they cheat the uneducated masses, kill or drive off the educated people, and are themselves pretty much just a collection of idiots (I did not say it was profound political satire on the level of George Orwell). As an adventure yarn this is one of ERB's better stories from the decade of the 1930s and in it you will find a strange world of amazing landscapes, fantastic creatures, and people with bizarre customs. The adventure elements are from Burroughs' well developed formula, so you might as well pay attention to the wonderful world of Amtor he has created. Still, special mention has to be made of Carson Napier having more of a sense of humor than Tarazn, John Carter, and David Innes put together (my favorite is his definition of "golf" as "a mental disease").

The weakest Burroughs series, but interesting nonetheless.......2004-07-19

"Pirates of Venus" begins the last major series by Edgar Rice Burroughs: the Venus novels. When it first appeared as a serial in the pulp magazine Argosy in 1932, Burroughs had already written Tarzan novels, most of the Mars series, and the novels of Pellucidar. The Venus novels were created partially as a response to Otis Adelbert Kline, a pulp author who wrote very much in the style of Burroughs. When Kline created a series of Venus-set novels made to imitate Burroughs's Martian novels, Burroughs fired back with his own series on Venus. He created a new hero, Carson Napier, who somehow manages to fire his rocket at Mars and end up landing on Venus. A jungle planet with tree-living humanoids battling a tyranny attempting to erase all class boundaries called 'The Thorists' (rather thinly disguised communists) and a horde of other monstrous menaces. Napier joins the fight against the Thorists and tries romancing the beautiful but unobtainable Duare.

It sounds like a typical Burrough adventure: plenty of colorful action, monsters, weird science, and crazy new cultures. But Burroughs was past his creative prime, and "Pirates of Venus" shows it. Phillip R. Burger, in his interesting afterword to this edition, sums up the problems in two telling sentences: "In the pantheon of Burroughs heroes, Carson Napier is considered a tad deficient." "I've become rather fond of 'Pirates of Venus' as well, in spite of the novel's rather glaring fault: no plot." Although Burger makes a spirited attempt to explain his liking for the novel, he's right about the flaws. Napier is a weak hero who doesn't really have any plan or direction, and the novel is really a loosely collected series of escapades and fights that lead nowhere in particular. The novel hardly even ends; it just stops -- setting up the inevitable sequels (which, for the record, are "Escape on Venus," "Lost on Venus," and "Carson of Venus"). Napier is maybe a more modern, realistic hero than Tarzan or John Carter of Mars, but that's not exactly what you want from an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel.

Nonetheless, "Pirates of Venus" is quintessential reading for Burroughs fans and pulp lovers. This excellent edition from Bison Books, complete with new illustrations, a glossary, and great essays from F. Paul Wilson and Phillip Burger, is the first time the book has been back in print for many years; many Burroughs readers probably haven't had a chance to experience Burroughs's last series, and here it is in quite handsome form. And, despite all its shortcomings, "Pirates of Venus" does offer simple action and adventure entertainment. Newcomers to Burroughs should first experience "Tarzan of the Apes," "Under the Moons of Mars" (a current volume from Bison Books that collects the first three Mars novels), "At the Earth's Core," and "The Land That Time Forgot" (all in print) before reading this later and lesser work from the creator of the modern action/adventure novel.

Welcome to Amtor.......2004-02-28

The plot is vintage (cliché?) Burroughs-stalwart Earthman finds himself alone on an alien world, rescues a beautiful princess, wins her love, and becomes the ruler of a mighty empire. Although there is nothing new in the plot, ERB at his best has a way of writing a tale that just zings along from adventure to adventure in a very enjoyable way, making for fast, fun, escapist reading. This is the literary equivalent of comfort food.

My Favorite Burroughs.......2002-05-17

Carson Napier has been my favorite Burroughs hero from about page 25 of my very old paperback copy of this book. He has all the heroic charms of John Carter while not quite being as over the top as the Warlord of Mars.

Customer Reviews:

the death of sleep.......2007-10-02

enjoyed the fill-in of the story of Lunzie. I had read The stories of her great-great-great granddaughter before reading this story.

Lamest . . . Plot . . . Ever (Warning, review contains spoilers!).......2007-05-10

The only reason I can find for anybody finishing this book is if they promised somebody they would. Why do I say that? Because the story, as told, makes absolutely NO sense.

Lunzie, our heroine goes off to make money so she can return for her daughter and emigrate from Earth. Her ship has an accident, and she spends sixty years in cold sleep. After her lifepod is picked up, she then spends the next two years desperately trying to find and contact her daughter. She succeeds and makes arrangements to meet her daughter on Earth. To get there, she signs on as a doctor on a luxury cruise liner. The liner has a disaster.(Think _Titanic_) Many passengers and crew escape and are rescued, but Lunzie gets another ten years in cold sleep awaiting help. After she's revived (again) she finally reaches Earth, only to find a tearful "Why did you change your mind?" message from her daughter. At that point, the book completely melted down.

1. Lunzie was CREW on the liner. If some escaped and others didn't, did the words "missing and presumed dead" never occur to anybody, either the characters OR the authors?

2. Daughter is almost certainly alive at age eighty-five, in an era of 120-year-plus lifespans. Lunzie makes absolutely NO further effort to contact her daughter or even find out where she is.

This makes, as I said, NO sense.

A friend of mine once, when asked what he thought of Anne McCaffrey as a writer, told me he avoided her books because they were so violent. When I asked him, in disbelief, why he said that, he replied: "Because she does so much violence to logic and common sense."

I now know *EXACTLY* how he felt, and why. Avoid this one at all costs.

Where's the conclusion???.......2002-10-07

I was enjoying this book thoroughly until it came to its abrupt end. There was no sense of completion, no tying up of loose ends, nothing. The book simply ended in the middle of a new conflict. This ruined the entire experience... I would NOT recommend this book unless you enjoy being left hanging.

One more time (no drum roll please).......2002-08-28

Poor Lunzie, nothing every goes right for her. The concept of stasis and passage of time is a conflict that many story lines have examined. I do like the problems that she faces, but I wish she would concentrate more on picking oup the pieces. I don't know about you, but most people would never leave a planet again. This is a light read and is enjoyable if you have read the other stories including the Sassinak series and dinosaur planet. Some of the necessary character development is missing in this book and relies on the other books.

One of her worst books!.......2002-03-13

I love Anne McCaffrey, but in my opinion this is one of the few books that she has written that is not very good. I did not like the book and had a hard time finishing it. The second book in this Series, Sassinak and third Generation Warriors are both very good and I would recommend them, skip this one unless you have nothing better to do.

Treasure Planet: Pirate Attack! (Step into Reading Movie Reader, Step 3)

Average customer rating:

pirates attack

Treasure Planet: Pirate Attack! (Step into Reading Movie Reader, Step 3)
Dennis Shealy , and Disney Storyboard Artists
Manufacturer: RH/Disney
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0736420215
Release Date: 2002-10-15

Book Description

Alien pirates, robots, cyborgs, and adventure all rolled into one swashbuckling Step into Reading! Disney’s newest animated feature, Treasure Planet, is a futuristic version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, Treasure Island.

Customer Reviews:

pirates attack.......2005-11-20

I give this book 4 stars. I've never seen the movie treasure planet, but this book gives me the basic idea of what it is about. This book has an excellent lesson that friendship is very important. This is a step 3 reading book. The pictures are perfect, and the text is great for beginning readers or readers who don't want to read. I would recommend this book to someone who knows a reluctant reader; it will surely stimulate them to read.

Average customer rating:

Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates
Kevin O'Malley
Manufacturer: Walker Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0802795714
Release Date: 2007-08-21

Book Description

Planet Jurassica is under siege. The sinister space pirates have raided the Imperial palace and stolen the famous Jewels of Jurassica. This looks like a job for . . . Captain Raptor!. . . hero of a thousand space missions; champion of truth, justice, and dinosaurs in space throughout the galaxy. If anyone can track down those marauding space pirates, it’s Captain Raptor and the fearless crew of the Megatooth!

Sassinak: Volume One of The Planet Pirates

Average customer rating:

Sassinak: Volume One of The Planet Pirates
Anne McCaffrey , and Elizabeth Moon
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ITYOSM

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Disney's Treasure Planet
Kiki Thorpe
Manufacturer: Scholastic, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

The classic and delightful story of a boy seeking adventure.

Average customer rating:

Disney's Treasure Planet: Space Case
Kim Yaged , Denise Shimabukuro , and Marco Ghiglione
Manufacturer: RH/Disney
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0736420177
Release Date: 2002-10-15

Book Description

B.E.N. (which is short for Bio-Electronic Navigator) is a bucket-of-bolts robot with a missing memory circuit. He may be confused, but he sure is funny!

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