After The Crash by Stuart Jaffe

After The CrashAfter The Crash by Stuart Jaffe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First, this story aside, I want to see more in this universe pre-crash with either the main character or just other humans. The character herself reminds me a wee bit of Heinlein's Friday pre-crash and post-crash Heinlein's Job. The universe itself looked pretty good from what you briefly see pre-crash and looks very intriguing and I'd absolutely love more content to be written from it. So Mr. Jaffe, get to it!

The book itself had me flashing back to... a computer game called Albion (a game in which the year is 2230, the gigantic, interstellar space ship Toronto emerges from hyperspace at the edge of a distant planetary system. The ship's owners, the multinational DDT corporation, believe that there are rich deposits of raw materials on one of the planets in the system, and the Toronto is to mine the whole planet's resources at once. The player is cast in the role of Tom Driscoll, the pilot of the exploration shuttle sent to verify the status of the planet. His shuttle malfunctions, forcing him to make a crash landing. Tom discovers that the data that described the planet as a desert world was false. Albion is a world teeming with life, secrets, surprises, and magic. It is up to him to alert the crew of the Toronto to the true situation to save Albion and its inhabitants.) that came out in 1995, Rockbiters from the Never Ending Story series and the classical too good to be true offer.

Without elaborating past the description of the book provided by the author/publisher I don't want to touch on specifics too much. This book really appealed to me because while reading it I kept flashing back to hours spent playing Albion. While it's not the greatest science-fiction story ever written it's definitely worth a read. If the description and my review appeal to you definitely check it out.

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Freemasons For Dummies

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Freemasons For DummiesFreemasons For Dummies by Christopher Hodapp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chris did a great job writing this book. He knows his stuff, did it tastefully, and didn't feel the need to lie or stretch truths to sell some book copies. He doesn't speculate, he just gives it to you how it is. Great book to learn about the craft for brothers or outsiders!

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Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend

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Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & LegendSecrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend by Jerry E. Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Much of the stuff covered in this book I've heard briefly mentioned in various other places. It was nice to see it all put into one place and elaborated on. Mr Smith personally responded to some emails of mine I had when I had a few questions about the book... that is impressive, most authors are nearly impossible to contact, and even if you manage to find a way to contact them they don't want to answer your questions, especially when they are authors of books similiar to this one.

I wish the book would have been a bit longer but it was still a superb read... I have to admit, now I want to steal the spear for my own plans of world domination, but that probably isn't smart. Mr. Smith needs to pump out more books on this topic as now he's got me, hook... line... and sinker. This is a great book, but don't take my word on it (sorry reading rainbow) so check it out for yourself. Mr. Smith needs to write more on this subject, as he's got me hook... line... and sinker.

I miss you Jerry, hope the afterlife is treating you well my friend!

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Inside Delta Force The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit

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Inside Delta Force: The Story Of America's Elite Counterterrorist UnitInside Delta Force: The Story Of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit by Eric L. Haney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Despite the fact that Eric Haney is generally hated in the special forces community, and the likelihood that his book is more fiction than fact. I found it to be a very good read. If you take it only as fiction, it would easily compete with the writings of Tom Clancy, Daniel Silva, Frederick Forsyth, and other military/spy authors.

I wouldn't suggest this book if you want to learn about the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne)... as I doubt any writings you find about it will be true, mostly speculation or fantasy... however if you want a good, fun, read... get this book. Good Job Haney.



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Anansi Boys: A Novel

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Anansi BoysAnansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a bit of a let down to me as originaly I had heard it was to be a sequel to American Gods, however it is not.

The book is good though, once I got past my dissapointment. Gaiman is a great author and I love both this and American Gods as they have gods living on earth along side us. The characters are interesting in both books and I highly recommend them to anyone and everyone. Think of it more as a just another novel set in the same universe. A different set of people and gods.

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American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities

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American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building CommunitiesAmerican Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities by Mark A. Tabbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is fabulous. The stories, art, and other information within it are absolutely wonderful. I think this should be the greatest coffee table book of all time, and I infact have it sitting on my tale in my living room and find myself flipping through it from time to time. I suggest every Mason, and every person interested in Masonic history get a copy of this book for their personal library, even if it is the only book they ever own.



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