Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman

This was an alternate history of the tale ending the Elizabethan reign in England. Combining supernatural occurances, with historical references, the plot revolves around Virginia Dare returning to England from the New World.  Bizarre weather occurances concern Queen Elizabeth and her court magician, Dr. Stephen Strange.  Assassination attempts, warfare, and chaos ensues as characters try to [...]

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This was the final installment in the trilogy by Pfeffer.  This book returns to Miranda’s home nearly a year after the catastrophes resulting from the moon being knocked out of orbit took place.  Her diary records her story of surviving, first with just her brothers and mother, and then when her father and his new [...]

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This apocalyptic novel takes place when a meteor hits the moon and knocks it out of orbit.  The excitement of Miranda and her classmates changes to horror as they realize that what was supposed to be a viewing for a special homework assignment turns into a life-changing event.  Tsunamis, volcano eruptions, and earthquakes ensue, and [...]

Ringworld by Larry Niven

“Hugo and Nebula Award winning writer Larry Niven writes his masterwork Ringworld, set in the ‘Known Space’ universe.  A trillion people live in a giant space craft that is created to simulate a planet, which is about to be destroyed.”  Summary provided by John, director of PPL. Look for other books in the “Known Space” series: Ringworld’s [...]

Enders game by Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game is a great science fiction novel.  Ender Wiggin is recruited by the world government for “training” to fight the alien “buggers”.  This first novel in a long running series follows Ender as he engages in training simulations and interacts with the other recruits.  A very good read. The rest of the series of [...]