Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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About MarkAbaddon

CBR13 participantCBR12 participantCBR11 participant

Somehow I have turned into a real life Ross Geller, having now been married 3 times. Otherwise, just your normal Jewish geek living in MN

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Octavia Butler – Adulthood Rites, well this was disappointing

Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler

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I hate writing negative reviews, especially for authors I love, but this book did not do it for me. Middle parts of a trilogy are difficult, I understand that, but this book just felt repetitive and barely moved the narrative forward. This novel focuses on the first male child born of a human (with genetic input from the Oankali) on earth since humanity was saved from extinction. Lilith, the main character from the first book is the mother but she barely appears as Akin, her […]

Dawn – An intriguing take on human-alien interactions

Dawn by Octavia Butler

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I first read the Xenogenesis sage of Octavia Butler when I was a teenager and it arrived with a ton of other books I ordered from some science fiction book club (I had just gotten a job and was a dumb kid, don’t judge). What I remembered most from the initial read was the use of cancer cells by the alien race, the Oankali, to reshape their own bodies which I thought was a brilliant concept (actually still think it is brilliant). Maybe I did […]

The Devil’s Dictionary – sarcasm so biting it should come with a warning label

The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce

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Ambrose Bierce is one of the most underappreciated writers in history. Although a peer of Mark Twain’s, his works have not received the same level of scrutiny and appreciation as Mr. Clemens, which is a shame. Obviously, being a pseudo-dictionary, there really is not a plot or story to summarize within The Devil’s Dictionary. What is there is insight, cultural commentary and a wit so biting it could cleave armor. The edition that I have also includes illustrations by the brilliant Ralph Steadman who takes […]

Dune – A Father’s Perspective

Dune by Frank Hebert

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Dune is one of the fundamental texts of speculative fiction and I have probably read it a half dozen times over the years. Why re-read it now? I saw the trailer for the movie coming out later this year (and if you haven’t seen it, find it online, it is fantastic) and realized I had not read it since my kids were very little. I thought I might have a different perspective now that my youngest is a teenager and that was certainly true. When […]

The Chain – Just the book I needed

The Chain by Adrian McKinty

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This year has been a difficult one for me, as it has been for most people. Often when I find myself troubled, I start diving into my books. For whatever reason, I have found it so tough to concentrate during this pandemic and economic meltdown that reading juts isn’t an option. I heard about The Chain on a website (possibly pajiba.com, but I cannot be sure) and thought it sounded interesting. The book arrived and I devoured it in a day. Was this the greatest […]



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