Book: Angelmass by Timothy Zahn

[Erudite]

Title: Angelmass
Author: Timothy Zahn
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 430

In my quest to find some light reading that is worth reading, I go to the "A" section or the "Z" section of our library and read covers till I find something that interests me. Last Fall, I read everything our library had by Issac Asimov, considered to be the "Father of Science Fiction." Asimov is fantastic, but Zahn is better.

Angelmass is the 7th book I've read by Timothy Zahn in the last 3 months. Like all the Zahn books I've read, I've been totally surprised at how the plot comes to a logical end, even when it has more twists, turns, and climaxes than any book ought to have. It kept me glued to my chair reading for almost 7 hours straight yesterday and then up this morning to finish it off before I did anything else. And his other books are every bit as rivoting.

This is a story of two planetary systems who used to be allies, but broke apart just a few years before the story starts. The Pax are sending a young scientist in to study the Empyrean because the Pax believe that the Empyrean, their human brothers, are having their minds controlled. The scientist's job is to find out how the control is working and why, so that when the Pax arrive on the scene they'll be able to "liberate" the Empyrean. So the scientist needs to infiltrate the Institute of Angels. Angels are a sub-atomic particle that supposedly "makes" people be good, and while no one, including the Institute, knows exactly how that happens, every government official and high military command is required to wear pendant that contains an "angel". This is supposed to make them do only good...and for the most part they do.

While that concept has special ramifications all its own for a reader who is concerned with CHOOSING good rather than having it forced, the interesting part is the end of the book when we find out that in fact, they aren't "forced" into goodness at all. And that is as much as I think I can tell without giving away too much of the story. But when I'd finished it, this was a book that kept me in my chair thinking for another 10 minutes or so after I was done, because of the lesson that the book conveys...and I'd say there is more than one. After thinking, I jumped to my feet a better person and ready to make something more of myself than spending nearly a whole day reading a novel!! It is a rare author who can write such a rivoting and fantastic story AND make you think hard about the choices that you're making in your own life, but this is not the first time that Zahn has done this.

EVERY Zahn book I've read has brought me running to my DH to exclaim over some new plot twist or how the surprise ending wasn't such a surprise afterall. While the plots are extraordinarily involved, Zahn keeps the characters few and concentrates hard on creating very real, very engaging characters that you can totally relate to....even the criminal in this book is a girl who I could understand because of how we see things through her eyes, which indicates a truly great writer.

The other amazing thing about his writing is that there is NO bad language, usually no sex, and the violence is generally war related. However, in this particular book there is a scene where the girl is mostly naked by the time she is able to run from the room. There's also an insane boyfriend who attempts to murder the good guys with a knife. For these two scenes, I'd recommend the book as one for a reader over 16.

[Erudite]

Title: Cobra Trilogy
Author: Timothy Zahn
Genre: Science Fiction

I'm just going to tack this one on here with the other Timothy Zahn book, because I want to put in a plug for this book as a GREAT book for boys over age 12. I would guess that even a reluctant reader would become fascinated by these stories. The Cobra Trilogy is 3 novels in one: Cobra, Cobra Strike, and Cobra Bargain.

Each story is based on the COBRA technology which is essentially to create a super-soldier. Their bodies are enhanced in a "bionic" kind of way and they are given computers in their brains that react to dangerous situations to protect the Cobra soldier. Each story also stays "in the family". The first deals with Jason (if I remember right) who is given the cobra technology and his experiences in war and trying to re-assimilate into society after the war. The reassimilation doesn't go well until Jason becomes a planet colonizer, the logical "civilian" use for the COBRA technology. The second story is about Jason's 3 sons: Justin, Corwin, and Joshua as a they go to another planet where humans have been discovered. The third story deals with Joshua's daughter, Jin, when she becomes the first woman to be given the COBRA technology.

Ok, so the amazing thing about these stories...when I started the third one, I figured ah yes...we have a girl, there's going to be a "love interest" and they'll have to go and do something that saves everyone. And then, Zahn KILLS off the love interest in like chapter 3 and makes it impossible for Jin to save anyone! Zahn has an amazing talent in creating utterly intriguing story lines that totally surprise you, but with endings that are completely logical using details gleaned throughout the story.

These books too have no bad language, even the wives and husbands only hold hands, and the violence is again related to self-defense in war situations. I don't even have any "questionable scenes" to report for these books, so I can HIGHLY recommend them for anyone over 12.

[5ft Diva]

Great info! Thanks, E.

[Erudite]

Title: The Conquerors
Author: Timothy Zahn
Genre: Science Fiction

Here's the last set of 3 books that I've read by Timothy Zahn. I can't remember their names right now, but they all have "Conquerors" in the title.

So the two above deal mostly with humans and you'd think that as an author he'd kinda stay in that comfortable arena, but nooooo. The Conquerors trilogy begins with humans coming into contact with a race they've never encountered before. But at this time, they've encountered and made treaties with numerous races on numerous planets. This first encounter is disastrous with only a single human survivor and he is taken prisoner. The story of the first book then is about how his family launches a rescue effort as well as how the humans begin to gear up for war against a race they believe to be "conquerors without reason".

The trouble is, in the 2nd book, we find that this unknown race believe the humans to be the "conquerors without reason". The first book ends on a serious cliff, and then the 2nd book is told entirely from the perspective of this new race. The main story line is about how one of the new race becomes a prisoner of the humans, but they don't know they've got him, because he no longer has a body. It died hundreds of years earlier and we're dealing with a "ghost". This new race has conquered death in that sense and knows how to allow the ghosts to survive and even thrive in their society. It is a fascinating idea kind of idea that was just exciting to read.

The third book gets a little confusing because by now, Zahn has about 20 main characters doing things in about 6 locations, but you can't not read the 3rd book, because it is the culmination of events that brings the "war" to a close and that all happens because of a couple of brave "ghosts" and some people in the right place at the right time.

With all Zahn's books, you get close to the end STILL wondering how he's going to wrap it up, and then with surprising speed and logic, it comes to a very satisfying conclusion. These are books I'd like to have on my shelves for my children to read when they can handle the variety of characters and plotlines. There is nothing in them that would be bad for anyone over 12, but they are very complex and might not be very enjoyable until kids are a little older. I can highly recommend them though!