"The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac, 1958

"The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac, 1958

Buddhism, Hiking, and Wine drinking.. Topics I'm all too familiar with-- but in the reverse order. Did I learn anything new? Probably not. Did it answer any of those "life questions?" Nah, not any of mine at least, probably because I wasn't having an existential crisis to begin with. Were the tales told entertaining? I wouldn't go that far to describe it as such. At best, I was amused at some parts.

Jack Kerouac

Although a bit dated, somewhat misogynistic, and rambly, I still found myself amused by the misadventures and tales entwined in a very "westernized" view of Buddhism.  However, I think it's those very same qualities that give the book its charm.

"Ah Japhy you taught me the final lesson of them all, you can't fall off a mountain.”

But you can throw a book off one!

My rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5 stars) - It was ok.

"I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson, 1954

"I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson, 1954

Honestly heart-wrenching and will hold you hostage in horror.

Written in 1954 but set in a post-Apocalyptic 1976 in the Inglewood area of Los Angeles-- whereby a turn of fate Robert Neville is the only living human remaining. Everyone has been afflicted by some virus that resulted from a worldwide biowarfare and spread via dust storms. The afflicted turns into a sort of "vampire."

"I Am Legend" is probably one of the first fusions of horror and science fiction. It's powerful and disturbing reworking of the vampire myth has made it a classic and enduring novel that had and will continue to have a profound impact on generations of writers and movie makers alike.

The author easily and effortlessly conveyed Robert Neville's loneliness and ennui with his harrowingly consequential states of mind and being. The heart-wrenching relationship between Neville and the dog brought tears to my eyes and profound sadness. Ruth's behavior was unexpected; her betrayal to him followed by her betrayal to her kind.

In the end, there was nothing left to be said but, "I am Legend."

I can't recommend this novel highly enough.

My rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5 stars)  It was amazing!



From Wikipedia:
I Am Legend is a 1954 horror fiction novel by American writer Richard Matheson. It was influential in the development of the zombie genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. The novel was a success and was adapted to film as The Last Man on Earth in 1964, as The Omega Man in 1971, and asI Am Legend in 2007, along with a direct-to-video 2007 production capitalizing on that film, I Am Omega. The novel was also the inspiration behind the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead.

From Goodreads.com:

Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth... but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has become a vampire, and they are hungry for Neville's blood.

By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn.

Koban Universe 1 (Koban Series)
by Stephen W. Bennet, 2014

Tedious, terrible, and taxing.

Four somewhat related stories, none of which I found interesting.

Some ideas and concepts were cool, but not cool enough to make up for the lack of story.

Of the four stories, the one that tells how Kobani parents cope with their kids who posses contact telepathy was the only one that held a shred of my attention. The kids were basically trading images, information, ideas, memories via contact telepathy like contraband.


My rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5 stars) - I did not like it.





Description as found on Goodreads.com:

These four stories are derived from the same Universe as the Koban series of books, and are tales involving Koban life forms and the Kobani people. Reading the series is not a prerequisite. 

A fully gene enhanced petite Kobani woman finds herself trapped in total darkness, pursued by thousands of slavering, semi-sentient, maniacally aggressive aliens. Talk about walking on the dark side! 

The wolfbat Flock Leader takes his colony to an unexplored Koban continent to set up a nest in new territory. The wily leader uses his cooperative experience with humans to try to forge similar alliances with other native creatures. Not everyone wants to play nice. 

How do Kobani parents cope with children that are born with the contact telepathy gene, and have eidetic memory? Adults that think teenagers act like they know everything, never had an overconfident four-year old super child, with a ripper cub as his partner. 

When you land your spaceship in a ruthless Crime Lord’s city using false registry, it’s hard to convince a platoon of armed thugs that you’re only shopping, not smuggling without paying the boss his cut. If you happen to be Kobani, and buying everyone drinks in a spaceport bar, those thugs had best not spoil your fun with threats. 

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut, 1965

Absurd. Absolutely absurd. Vonnegut's satirical view of modern day society is clearly humorous.

Eliot Rosewater sets out across America visiting various towns and finally lands in Rosewater County. His drunkenness and relationship with the poor make him appear eccentric.  Mushari, a scheming lawyer, is determined to prove Eliot Rosewater insane to usurp some of the Rosewater fortune.

Eliot ends up spending a year in a mental institution. There he is visited by his father, his favorite author, and a lawyer where he wills his fortune to the fifty-seven children he allegedly fathered.

The writing is clear and quite direct. It is easily understood that it reads with ease just as breathing is natural.

Admittedly, there was some great dialog that produced hilarity and sustained chortles. My only fear is the humor may have been wasted on me as I only found a small percentage funny.

I think my favorite and what I remember most is Diana Glampers. Diana is a 68-year-old virgin. Diana is described as "ugly, stupid, and boring. A lonely woman whom nobody has ever loved. She's afraid of electricity since both her parents were killed by lightning, and she has chronic kidney trouble. What a character!

Aside from Diana, Eliot himself is quite the loon himself.  I enjoyed and nearly died with laughter when I envisioned the scene where Eliot sat in his chair and played with his footlong pubic hair swirling it around his fingers.


My rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5 stars) - It was ok.



Book description as found on Goodreads.com

"God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater" is a comic masterpiece. Eliot Rosewater, drunk, volunteer fireman, and President of the fabulously rich Rosewater Foundation, is about to attempt a noble experiment with human nature...with a little help from writer Kilgore Trout. The result is Vonnegut's funniest satire, an etched-in-acid portrayal of the greed, hypocrisy, and follies of the flesh we are all heir to.

Lost and Found (Taken Trilogy #1), Alan Dean Foster, 2005

Lost and Found (Taken Trilogy #1), Alan Dean Foster, 2005

Alien abductions, a talking dog with increased intelligence,  sassy aliens, and space travel all told with such delectable, delicious words and wordplay. What's not to like?

I laugh at more parts in the book than I can remember. Completely entertaining and had me wanting more at every turn of the page.

Human Marcus Walker is abducted by aliens with the intent of being sold for profit.  On the alien ship, among all the other aliens, he finds himself a Terran companion.  The problem is; the other Terran is a dog.  The good news; the dog, can talk and has increased intelligence.

Marcus Walker, along with George, the talking dog, find allies on the alien ship and with their help, they set on a mission to escape captivity.

If you are dog-lover, science fiction fan, and into aliens, this is a no- brainer. You will enjoy this book. It's funny, an easy read, and just plain cute.

My rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5 stars)  It was amazing!



The book description as found of Goodreads:

Not so long ago Marcus Walker was just another young commodities trader in Chicago, working hard and playing harder. But that’s all in the past, part of a life half forgotten—a reality that vanished when he was attacked while camping and tossed aboard a starship bound for deep space.

Desperately, Walker searches for explanations, only to realize he’s trapped in a horrifying nightmare that is all too real. Instead of being a rich hotshot at the top of the food chain, Walker discovers he’s just another amusing novelty, part of a cargo of “cute” aliens from primitive planets—destined to be sold as pets to highly advanced populations in “civilized” regions of the galaxy.

Even if he weren’t constantly watched by his captors, Walker has few options. After all, there is no escape from a speeding starship. Another man might resign himself to the inevitable and hope to be sold to a kindly owner, but not Walker. This former college football star has plenty of American ingenuity and no intention of admitting defeat, now or ever. In fact, he’s only just begun to fight.

The adventure will continue with two more novels