The Icarus Hunt (completed)

Timothy Zahn never fails to amaze me. This is the second book by Zahn that I have read (the first being Angelmass) and it only strengthens my respect for Zahn as my favorite Sci-fi author. In The Icarus Hunt, by Timothy Zahn, the future is portrayed as humans establishing colonies and cities alongside thousands of alien species. A new form of business called galactic shipping is established benefit the economy but most of the shipping is now under the control of a powerful alien race known as the the Pattaaunutth, or "Patth" for short. Looking for a way to survive, Jordan McKell, a ship pilot who is currently in a huge debt from an mafia boss known as "Brother John", tries to find some work to do when a mysterious gentleman offers him a shipping job on his spaceship the Icarus. Of course, Jordan agrees and heads out for the space port where the ship was held. As seen in the included picture, the Icarus looks like an abomination compared to more standard ships. Jordan is not the only one to notice this however: the other members of the hired space crew notice this strange factor as well. Each member had been hired off the street by the same mysterious gentleman that approached Jordan, looking for people who filled out their roles to operate a huge spaceship. These members are: Jaegar Jones (mechanic), Almont Nicabar (Engineer and ex-military), Chort (alien space walker), Geoff Shawn (electronic specialist), and Tera (computer specialist). These six members are to get along and fly this huge ship all the way to Earth, which is easier said than done for a number reasons. The first is that their employer wasn't on board when they took off, raising suspicion. Second, the crew doesn't even know what they're carrying as cargo. And third, an incident occurs mid-flight that indicates that there is a saboteur on board that can very well threaten their lives. As the story progresses, tensions increase as pretty soon, the Patth itself is interested in the Icarus and are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure it falls in their hands, since this poorly construced ship can change the fate of the economic empire the Patth have established. A highly recommended story for those who like a mix of mystery and sci-fi

The 47th Samurai (completed)

I have decided to try out a new genre for once: MYSTERY. I was looking for a science fiction book at the local libary when I came across The 47th Samurai by Stephen Hunter. The book starts out with a look in the past on Iwo Jima in 1945, when the Americans started their campaign to take over the Pacific area of Japan. Major Earl Swagger is enlisted as commander of a platoon of soldiers to eliminate the remaining Japanese soldiers on the island, under the command of Captain Yano. The the Japanese are pinned down, Captain Yano commands his soldier to be samurai, proud and vigorous warriors who embrace death. Just as the battle begins, the prologue ends and the reader jumps ahead sixty years into the future to Bob Lee Swagger, Earl Swagger's son. Bob is an ex-marine and a Vietnam veteran, who is now retired on his farm in Idaho. One day, Philip Yano, the son of Captain Yano from Iwo Jima, approaches Bob to ask him if he knows the location of the katana, or japanese sword, that Captain Yano used during the heroic battle of Iwo Jima. Accepting Philip's request, Bob locates the sword and travels to Tokyo, Japan to hand it over to Philip. Upon delivery, Philip inspects the sword to discover the fact that his father's sword is more than just a WWII standard military sword: it's a shin-shinto, a national treasure to the country of samurai. It's a priceless artifact that Bob will soon discover that it is indeed worth killing for. Bob arrives at a Japanese airport to suddenly get drunk on sake, Japan's national drink, and misses his flight. However, this is both a blessing and a curse on his part. The next morning when he wakes up, he discovers on the news that the Yanos' house has been burned to the ground. Bob later finds out that it was the doing of a Shinsengumi, a yakuza mafia group under Kondo Isumi, an infamous samurai that will kill anyone who gets in his business. In order to avenge the Yano family, Bob has to dive deep into Japanese culture and master the art of the samurai to survive in the yakuza world. Of course, he can't do this alone. He asks for the help of American-born Susan Okada and the cocaine-dealing journalist Nick Yamamoto in this fight of government corruption. But for now, I don't want to give away any major details on the story. The significance of the sword and why even the government would turn to the yakuza to retrieve it are all revealed in the story to provide a sense of excitement for the reader as he/she puts the pieces together to solve the mystery of the shin-shinto. This factor makes the book very enjoyable and I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for an amazing triller