Pearls of Wisdom From Science Fiction

May 13, 2020May 13, 2020 Lynette M Burrows

No matter what we experience in life there is always someone who has shared a pearl of wisdom that we can apply. The same is true of our pandemic life today. Here are some pearls of wisdom from science fiction books and authors. “Beware At war Or at peace, More people die Of unenlightened self-interest Than of any other disease” ― Octavia Butler Nobody dares to solve the problems-because the solution might contradict your philosophy, and for most people clinging to beliefs is more important than succeeding in the world. ― Michael Crichton, State of Fear The monsters don’t live in the belly of the world like they all say. The monsters live inside of us. We make the monsters. ― Kameron Hurley, The Stars are Legion All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. ― Frank Herbert,Chapterhouse: Dune Arrogance and Conceit are the mother and father of a closed mind. ― Richard Nance, “Journey of the Chosen” Just as every villain imagines themselves a hero, few heroes see when they’ve become the villain. ― Nicholas Tana Fire is catching!” I am shouting now, determined he will not miss […]

Which Great Line Would Make You Read the Book?

May 8, 2020May 7, 2020 Lynette M Burrows

Have you gone through your to-be-read (TBR) pile yet? Or do you look at your TBRs and find nothing that interests you right now? Here’s a collection of lines from various speculative fiction novels. Which great line would make you read the book? Anthology “I have no mouth. And I must scream…” ― Harlan Ellison, I Have No Mouth and I MustScream Cyberpunk “Bees? Are you telling me we have space bees?” ― David Colello, Trillion Dollar Sky: Mission Cerex Horror “Jane woke, stretched, and decided to kill herself. If she hadn’t found a reason to live by the end of the day, she would jump from the rig. It felt good to have a plan.” ― Adam Baker, Outpost Science Fiction Beware of more powerful weapons. They often inflict as much damage to your soul as they do to you enemies. ― Greg Cox, The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh “There was no escaping the screaming rats.” ― Jim L. Owens, The Neptune Bubble I am a leg of the death tripod that will destroy our foes. ― Frank Herbert, Dune “Damn it, no horizon should bend upward.” Jan S. Gephardt, What’s Bred in the Bone “What was I before the war? It’s hard to remember that far back. […]

Story Time Reviews “Operation Haystack”

October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 Lynette M Burrows

Story Time Reviews “Operation Haystack” by Frank Herbert. If you enjoy science fiction spy mysteries, you’ll enjoy this short story. It first appeared in Astounding in May 1959. This review is of the public domain LibriVox recording. It is a little more than. 48 minutes in duration. All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted. — Frank Herbert, Chapterhouse: Dune The Story The story is about Field Agent Lewis Orne, injured during an assignment on a planet ruled by women. The doctors have no hope of saving him. A “womblike creche pod” had taken over most of his badly mangled body’s vital functions. Umbo Stetson, Orne’s section chief, writes Orne’s mother about her son’s condition. She is too ill to travel. In her stead, a friend and local, Mrs. Ipscott Bullone of Marak, wife of the High Commissioner, takes over for the family. Miraculously Orne survives. Mrs. Bullone invites Orne to recuperate at her home after his discharge from the hospital. This is an opportunity Stetson can’t pass up. He suspects Ipscott […]