Let’s Booktalk: Saint Vidicon to the Rescue by Christopher Stasheff

Father Vidicon may have been unorthodox for a priest in the Catholic Church. Vidicon was technologically savy, and his skills were put to good use in a time of crisis for the church. Sadly Vidicon was struck down working his tech-savy magic during a broadcast. Since his death whenever anything that could go wrong with technology, does go wrong people have prayed to Saint Vidicon for rescuing. Yet, some jobs need more earthly help.

Enter, Tony Ricci, a techy with skills, and Saint Vidicon’s earthly conduit. Ricci must navigate the world of evil tech issues, if the world is to remain safe from the powers of darkness using technology against us.

Let’s Booktalk: Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams

Uni- latin for “one”.

Multi- latin for “many”

A singular universe no longer exist. In his 1,500 years of conscience life computer scientist, sorcerer, and swordsman Aristride has only known the multiverse.

The multiverse consists of Eleven platforms, created by artificial intelligence to sustain the existence of humans in their many forms. But, there is a plot to bring about the end of human existence, the “Existential Crisis”. One of the multiverses is creating new wormholes through the central sun threatening to extinguish life by absorbing what energy is left. 

Now, Aristride will have to travel the multiverse, face zombie attacks, biometric formed machines, and fight to save the multiverse before it is too late.

Let’s Booktalk: Bellwether by Connie Willis

Fads and scientific discovery have a lot in common, as with any human accomplishment the come about through means that are “messy, haphazard, misdirected, and heavily influenced by chance.”

Dr. Sandra Foster’s job as a sociologist is studying the origins of fads for the HiTek research cooperation. She wants to know how and why fads begin, enter Flip a mail clerk who delivers a box.

The box was for Dr. Turnball, which takes Sandra to Dr. Bennett O’Reilly. Bennett is studying chaos theory and its trends on behavioral patterns. Only thing is Chaos Theory is not a fad and his funding form was not delivered by Flip at the right time.

Sandra and Bennett will then team up to advance their scientific discoveries of behavior patterns of fads and chaos. What will they find? The point of origin? The bellwether? Maybe, even Love?

Get your nerd on!!! If you enjoyed the book and maybe even the science behind it, check out this website about Collective Behavior--this is the umbrella theory that Sandra's research is based in. Collective Behavior, an introduction.

Lets Booktalk: Daniel X--Game Over by James Patterson and Ned Rust

Courtesy of Goodreads
Click HERE to see James Patterson's Facebook page.

Daniel X is your typical teenage boy. He plays video games, is interested in sports, and hunting the occasional alien hell bent of destroying the world.

“There were hundreds of millions of GC games and consoles in the world. If the company was able to just flick a switch and turn every player into an armed killer… GAME OVER” (18)

So, are you one of the millions out for the ultimate gamer experience? Or are you going to save the planet with Daniel X? 

“ ‘Although, if you start to feel overstimulated…try some off-line games too’…with that steel shutters dropped across the store windows, and two security guards pulled out their sidearms and began blasting away. At me (Daniel).” (175)

Daniel X, saving the Earth, one alien created video game at a time.