Science+Fiction

What is science fiction?
Science fiction is a "story based on impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, usually set in the future or on other planets" (CA Dept. of Education, 2011, para. 16).

Science Fiction Books in Our Library
//Catching Fire// by Suzanne Collins FIC COL “Catching Fire” is the second book of the award winning Hunger Games series by Suzzane Collins. The book is about two teenagers that were forced to be in the Capital's hunger games, and against the odds, they both survived. It begins with the aftermath of Katniss and Peeta, the main characters, victory. Although the victory was won by defiance of the Capital and their harsh ruling, both Peeta and Katniss should be very happy but, with possible rebellions which she fueled that may occur, she feared the leaders in the Capital because of the uprisings she is afraid will never stop. Instead of Katniss enjoying her new life in happiness, wealth, and having a celebrity status, Katniss has gone back to the arena for another hunger games arena. //Catching Fire// portrays the how the government tries to avoid revolutions and how it affects others' lives.
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I was quite happy to see the plot of the series become deeper. Peeta and Katniss continued to have relations so the Capital could leave them alone and yet her feelings for Gail begin to spring again. However, I still have anger towards Katniss because she is playing Peeta and that is exasperating. He really does have feelings for her that he wants to become real. I wish I could give Peeta a hug because Katniss is torturing him, but he loves her so he will always be there for her.

I couldn’t stop reading //Catching Fire//. It picked up right where “The Hunger Games” left off. The end of the book left me off a cliff, hanging on by a spider web, but I guess that’s because I have to further my readings. Maybe it is a part of the affect Collins wanted to create. Her incredible way of writing described the perfect imagery and the correct words to create a better effect. While reading the book, I could’ve sworn I was inside the story watching everything that was going on. I felt every pain Katniss did, I smelled the odors, heard the noises, and saw the gruesome imagery. I could not, and would not put the book down. The book was well written.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has read //The Hunger Games// only. Because of the position of where the story picks up, it would be very difficult for the reader to know what is going on. Also, since the book leaves off on an ending where the reader is left hanging, I also suggest continuing reading the next book as well. If a person is looking for suspense, mystery, romance and action, this is the book of interest. Overall, “Catching Fire” was an excellent book, the only book that could keep my interest. I encourage anyone to start their Hunger Games journey today. - L.R. // Killing Time // by Caleb Carr FIC CAR Historical novelist Carr moves from the past to the future in his latest novel. The year is 2023, and narrator Dr. Gideon Wolfe, a noted criminal psychologist, has just been asked to solve the murder of a special-effects man. The victim left behind an encrypted computer disc that revealed the existence of conspiracies at the highest level. Someone out there has been manipulating information to mislead and even terrorize the public. Who are they, and why are they doing this? During the course of his investigation, Wolfe makes some unusual allies who are experts in advanced technology. Perhaps they can shed some light on the matter, before Wolfe's enemies catch up to him. As usual, Carr's well-written prose deftly combines character development and a fast-paced plot. Fans of The Alienist and Angel of Darkness won't be disappointed by this futuristic adventure. Highly recommended for all libraries. –//Library Journal//
 * 1) of Pages: 274

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams FIC ADA ``The British author of the Hitchhiker trilogy and other immensely popular lunacies, Adams permits no whiff of common sense to spoil his new novel, which combines fantasy, hilarity and creeping horrors,'' remarked PW. Here, sleuth Dirk Gently investigates a lawyer and an advertiser who possess the soul of the god Odin. ``The plot's ramifications are marvelous, bloody and irresistible.'' -//Publisher's Weekly// // Red Glove // by Holly Black FIC BLA In this smart and well-executed sequel to White Cat, 17-year-old Cassel Sharpe is still getting used to the idea that he's a transformation worker, the rarest and most powerful type of curse worker, able to transmute people and objects into whatever he wishes. Growing up in a crime family, he's always been on the wrong side of the law, but now everyone wants a piece of Cassel, including a mob boss, who sees him as an untraceable hit man, and U.S. agents, who want him to replace his recently murdered brother as an informant. Also, Cassel's mother has put a love curse on Lila, the mob boss's daughter, and Cassel's plan to avoid her until it wears off ("Lila's desire for me is a perversion of love. A mockery") dissolves when Lila enrolls at his prep school. As Cassel's grandfather warns him, "Magic gives you a lot of choices.... Most of them are bad." Black again delivers complex characters and a nicely developed alternate universe where magic workers are social pariahs. This powerful, edgy dark fantasy won't disappoint Black's fans. –//Publisher’s Weekly//
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Shipbreaker by Paolo Bacigalupi FIC BAC This YA debut by Bacigalupi, a rising star in adult science fiction, presents a dystopian future like so many YA sf novels. What is uncommon, though, is that although Bacigalupi's future earth is brilliantly imagined and its genesis anchored in contemporary issues, it is secondary to the memorable characters. In a world in which society has stratified, fossil fuels have been consumed, and the seas have risen and drowned coastal cities, Nailer, 17, scavenges beached tankers for scrap metals on the Gulf Coast. Every day, he tries to make quota and avoid his violent, drug-addicted father. After he discovers a modern clipper ship washed up on the beach, Nailer thinks his fortune is made, but then he discovers a survivor trapped in the wreckage the swank daughter of a shipping-company owner. Should he slit the girl's throat and sell her for parts or take a chance and help her? Clearly respecting his audience, Bacigalupi skillfully integrates his world building into the compelling narrative, threading the backstory into the pulsing action. The characters are layered and complex, and their almost unthinkable actions and choices seem totally credible. Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi.-//Booklist,// Rutan // White Cat // by Holly Black FIC BLA Cassel, 17, has always felt apart from his family. Not only does he believe that he is the only "non-worker" in it, he lives with a horrible secret. Gradually, as the boy's gritty world is revealed through his narration so, too, is his growing awareness that he is a singular type of curse worker. The sometimes grisly, plot-driven story builds a world in which curse working is illegal and controlled by organized crime. In this gloved society, workers (really magicians) can manipulate emotions, create dreams, deal death, and more, all with the touch of a bare hand. It's a world in which curse working has become a political issue. Cassel struggles to be normal, but ultimately realizes that it can never be because he enjoys being an effective con-artist and is loyal to his disloyal and dysfunctional family. Voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, Cassel comes to life as does his emerging understanding of who he is, where he fits into his family and society, and what he hopes to become. Fans of horror and fantasy may become hooked on this first volume (S & S/Margaret K. McElderry Bks., 2010) in Holly Black's series.-//School Library Journal,// Maria Salvadore
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