Books: Fiction

Maybe it is only my love for economic and social freedom, but I quickly developed strong interest in Meira Pentermann's characters. Communication, trust, and much more are severely hampered in her vision of America swaying strongly towards socialism. Terrible to be in a such a situation, fortunately so far in history these economically self defeati... (See the whole review)

Shameless self promotion, but just for fun. Last year, I wrote this for my own pleasure, truly as a form of self therapy. It was great fun, nothing else. It is not even remotely political, although, some politics does manage to sneak into the cracks and crevices. It is primarily a story about a young man with a positive attitu... (See the whole review)

Kira Peikoff is Leonard Peikoff's daughter. See the endorsement by #1 best selling novelist Lee Child.

Book Description: ... (See the whole review)

(Passing this along from my inbox) ... (See the whole review)

Offered a general's star if he will accept assignment to a NATO post in Europe, Colonel John Matherson resigns his commission to move with his wife, dying of cancer, and their two daughters to her Christian-college hometown in the back woods of North Carolina. Then, one day, the lights go out, and, more ominously, car ignitions and cell phones fai... (See the whole review)

First, I want to name some general strengths and weaknesses of this novel. Overall, I found it a worthwhile read. The author does a solid job of giving his characters substance, depth, and believability. The reader will come to care about them like real people. The plot had enough interesting twists to keep the reader turning pages to learn what ha... (See the whole review)

The Sparrowhawk series is an historical fiction must read for lovers of the American Revolution and the spirit of '76 that led up to the glorious cause enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. After reading Book One: Jack Frake you'll be hooked.

Did The Dark Knight leave you longing for a less introspective, more morally certain Batman? Then look no further. Writer Frank Miller teams with artist Jim Lee to give us the most hard-boiled Batman ever. He's so hard-boiled that he makes Mike Hammer look like a sissy. Miller and Lee turn the testosterone up as they give us a Batman ... (See the whole review)

“Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.” ... (See the whole review)

A group of highly trained terrorist snipers are keeping almost every US law enforcement officer busy investigating random attacks. A second arm of the terrorist group is secretly importing and warehousing enormous amounts of narcotics. ... (See the whole review)

Many authors whose opinions I value very highly spoke well of Mickey Spillane especially the works in his Mike Hammer series. I wasn't disappointed. It rarely takes more than a paragraph or two to understand why Rand was such a fan of his literary style. The title character narrates every story in the series, and his personal insight adds a ... (See the whole review)

I had a few hours to spare a few weeks ago and came across this book at Borders, though I dropped it when I saw the authors name. I can't stand Tom Wolfe and his absurd writing, so this was not going to be the book for me. Now I learn that I was very mistaken, that this book was written at a time when books still had a chance of being good ... (See the whole review)

Upon rereading Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose for the first time since I read it at age 16, I am struck by the obvious influence of Jorge Luis Borges on the work. When I first read the book in 1984 I was not aware of Borges, and had only just put down my first reading of Atlas Shrugged. The book itself is presented, in Borgesian manner, as a ... (See the whole review)

Has anyone read this book yet? seems to be  Randian inspired.....

A series of deaths is traced to the toxin of the blue-ringed-octopus. An MIT prodigy goes on an unexplained hiatus. A playboy businessman donates $250,000 to an environmental fund, the check is deposited to buy war weapons. A crew shows up to film hundreds of children drown in a flash flood, 30 minutes before rain begins to fal... (See the whole review)

Christopher Tolkien just released a version of the tale of the fall of Hurin's children that J.R.R. wrote many decades before. Many compare it to Macbeth, and some say Christopher finally let the work of J.R.R. speak for itself. I, for one, think it's worth a read if you love tragedies.

I just finished this book. It moved me in a life-altering way. No longer will I ever, ever sit back and take the news of an emergent war lightly. ... (See the whole review)

Just finished reading this book - fascinating overview of choosing a new company president, from a pro-business standpoint, especially in light of the times in which it was written, the early 50's...  and the ending is top-notch for suspence.... ... (See the whole review)

This a book that I couldn't put down. It's a great read, and an interesting case in ethics that many Objectivists will like. The description on Amazon says it all, and I don't want to give away the details, but it's very well written and both emotional and entertaining. So read it!

For a mystery which was written decades ago, "The A.B.C. Murders" is surprisingly modern in its sophistication.  People are being murdered by the letters of their names with the murders announced days in advance.  Is it a madman?  A patronizing criminal mastermind?  Agatha Christie delivers an intriguing ride of twists and turns. 

Barbara Branden commented sometime ago that she hadn’t known much writings about the lives in Communist China. I have since discovered Ha Jin, a Chinese born author and Professor of English Literature at Boston University. Ha Jin writes both poetry and fiction, in English. The subject matter of his fictions so far (except his latest novel War Trash... (See the whole review)

Amazon.com An Excerpt from Bill Watterson's Introduction: ... (See the whole review)

The newest Harry Potter book went on sale this morning at midnight.  My daughter was one of those silly people lining up to buy a copy at midnight and she stayed up all night reading the entire book.  She told me that the books are getting darker and Hogwarts isn't the fun escape it used to be.  Someone very important dies in this book.  (She told ... (See the whole review)

This is the freshman work of a talented young Objectivist cartoonist named Bosch Fawstin. He's been nominated for an Eisner award (the comic equivalent of an Oscar) in the category of "talent deserving of wider recognition." ... (See the whole review)

Objectivists with children eventually want to discuss with them the right of an individual to his own mind, body and property -- regardless of "majority vote."  Such parents can use this book to their advantage.  The author's acid wit burns to the end when he serves to the antagonists large helpings of their "just deserts." The book centers ... (See the whole review)

Frank Miller made his start as a writer on Daredevil, so it was fitting that he returned to the character that made him famous to do the definitive origin. ... (See the whole review)

I've just finished reading this wonderful collection of writing exercises, previously unpublished stories and plays and unpublished excerpts from We the Living and The Fountainhead. It is delightful to witness Rand's progress, both as writer and philosopher, in these works written between 1926 and 1938. One of the things I find amazing about... (See the whole review)

This story is a great little satire of the subjectivist corruption of avant-garde human society, which is wholly incapable of seeing a brilliant and robust new male writer for what he really is:  a simple-minded forest bear. I smiled and laughed while reading this book... The characters who surround the bear are supreme idiots completely los... (See the whole review)

 Saki is a breath of fresh air. His short-stories offer a balm to anyone who treasures outstanding wit, colourful imagination and whip-smart plots – that is to say, by anyone truly alive. Imagine if PJ O’Rourke had turned his lens on Edwardian England ; or if Oscar Wilde had written hundreds of biting, acerbic stories disdaining cant, hypocr... (See the whole review)

First published in 1870, Venus in Furs gained for its author both notoriety and a degree of immortality when the word "masochism"--derived from his name--entered the psychiatric lexicon. The novel describes the sexual obsessions of Severin von Kusiemski, a European nobleman with the desire "to be the slave of a woman." Severin finds his ideal of vo... (See the whole review)

I'm not a big fan of fantasy as a rule but I make an exception for this excellent comic book series by Wendy and Richard Pini, this volume of which collects the earliest Elfquest issues. ... (See the whole review)

The original Objectivist comic book creator, Steve Ditko is best known for his creation, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel comic book characters Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. ... (See the whole review)

Imagine Ayn Rand collaborating with Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan, John Carter of Mars) and Hal Foster (Prince Valiant) to create a sword and science comic book. Better yet, stop imagining and sample the amazing world of Tandra by objectivist creator/writer/artist Christopher Lindbergh Hanther, Jr. ... (See the whole review)

From the author's web site: ... (See the whole review)

From author Max Allan Collins' website http://www.maxallancollins.com/: "Nate Heller is a cop trying to stay straight in one of the most corrupt places imaginable: Prohibition-era Chicago. When he won't sell out, he's forced to quit the force and become a private investigator. His first client is Al Capone. His best friend is Elio... (See the whole review)

This is my favorite Ayn Rand novel. Not as overtly philosophical nor as monumental in scope as her later works, strictly as a novel qua novel, it excels those later works. And compared to the work of other authors, it is monumental. Rand tells us a love story set against the background of communist Russia in the 1920's. In part two, chapter 8, s... (See the whole review)

Inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin, the Moon and Sixpence is an unforgettable study of a man possessed by the need to create — regardless of the cost to himself, and to others. Excerpts: "And man, subservient to interests he has persuaded himself are greater than his own, makes himself a slave to his taskmaster. He sits him on a sea... (See the whole review)

"A novel that brilliantly illuminates some of the darker interconnections between politics and sex . . . Just as the world of Orwell's 1984 gripped our imaginations, so will the world of Atwood's handmaid!" --Washington Post Book World "Atwood takes many trends which exist today and stretches them to their logical and chilling co... (See the whole review)

This story is about a group of rabbits who leave their home in search of a new place to live because of dangers that threaten them. Along the way they meet other rabbits and come across many warrens, some of which they are invited to live at, others which they must escape from. The story is not only a page turner at times, but I thought the author ... (See the whole review)

1984 is a dystopian story set in the future of a statist world. The main character, Winston Smith, struggles to live in a world where there is no privacy, and the government controls every aspect of your life. The symbol of the government is Big Brother, a fictitious leader who is said to benevolently watch over his people. In practice, the citizen... (See the whole review)

A short novella about a man trapped in a future society that has taken collectivism to its full and natural course. He struggles against that society and eventually breaks free and discovers the most glorious word in the english language, "I".

This is Ayn Rand's first popular novel which brought her fame and a large following. "It is the story of a gifted young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggled to defeat him." (back cover) It shows man as a heroic being: Howard Roark, the perfect Egoist.

The story of people finding the moral conviction to live their own lives, and of a man who stops the motor of the world to pave the way.  This is Ayn Rand's magnum opus. It is her comprehensive philosophical novel, dealing with each of the major categories of philosophy. This book lays down the basis of her entire philosophy in a compelling story. ...