Reading on the Kindle is so easy and comfortable that I'm reading more. In fact I downloaded a few old science fiction classics that I had missed and just cranked right through them. My left thumb is practically my only moving part when I'm kindling. I hold it in my left hand, resting the bottom on my left thigh, put my feet up on an ottoman, and just go...
Most recently, Harry Harrison's "Planet of the Damned", published in 1962 fell victim to my thumb. It's a quick read and I think holds up well after all this time. The basic background involves planetary conflict, human evolution driven by the different conditions people are living in on new planets, and the attempts of the hero (Brion) to save the day. This isn't really meant to be a book review, but what struck me was that only a few days after I finished the book, the Space Telescope Science Institute (Hubble) announced the results of a new study that predicts, based on statistical analysis of data gathered by various instruments, that the likely number of "Earth-like" planets in our galaxy is gi-normous! Something like 100 billion..
I know a lot of people don't pay too much attention to this sort of thing, but just a few short years ago it was an open question whether there were any planets anywhere else at all! Now, in the blink of an eye, it seems, the answer is ...oh yea...only about 100 billion....
Which means the story and the setting in "Planet of the Damned" is really very plausible at some point in the future, of course..and there's a few more obstacles to be overcome before we're actually out among the stars...but the speed with which reality is catching up with fiction is just stunning some times...Don't you think?
Anyway, while you're waiting for the starship to be built, go see what life may be like once we're out there. As I recall, I downloaded "Planet..." for free.
Here's the link
Enjoy
Most recently, Harry Harrison's "Planet of the Damned", published in 1962 fell victim to my thumb. It's a quick read and I think holds up well after all this time. The basic background involves planetary conflict, human evolution driven by the different conditions people are living in on new planets, and the attempts of the hero (Brion) to save the day. This isn't really meant to be a book review, but what struck me was that only a few days after I finished the book, the Space Telescope Science Institute (Hubble) announced the results of a new study that predicts, based on statistical analysis of data gathered by various instruments, that the likely number of "Earth-like" planets in our galaxy is gi-normous! Something like 100 billion..
I know a lot of people don't pay too much attention to this sort of thing, but just a few short years ago it was an open question whether there were any planets anywhere else at all! Now, in the blink of an eye, it seems, the answer is ...oh yea...only about 100 billion....
Which means the story and the setting in "Planet of the Damned" is really very plausible at some point in the future, of course..and there's a few more obstacles to be overcome before we're actually out among the stars...but the speed with which reality is catching up with fiction is just stunning some times...Don't you think?
Anyway, while you're waiting for the starship to be built, go see what life may be like once we're out there. As I recall, I downloaded "Planet..." for free.
Here's the link
Enjoy
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