Book #697 – Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

While I may have taken North Carolina away from Nicholas Sparks, I wasn’t really able to do that with Maine and Stephen King. Yes, there are other authors that set a book in Maine, but none as prolifically as Stephen King. (There were 36 books by Mr King on the List) The book is set near Derry, Maine, a fictional town that Stephen King admits is his representation of Bangor, Maine. It’s also the setting for 4 of his other books, including It, which is referenced in Dreamcatcher.

Dreamcatcher is the tale of four childhood friends, now grown, remembering their past while an alien invasion rocks the hunting grounds North of Derry, Maine. I have a feeling that mixing the mundane with the supernatural/science fiction is going to be a recurring theme in the Stephen King books. What’s that? How many Stephen King books have I read? Including this one and the other one I’ve reviewed for this challenge? Four. Carrie and Under the Dome were my introductions to Stephen King.

Book #208 – The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

There were quite a few options for Ohio, but in the end, I went with one that was almost, but not quite, in my hometown. I lived, for 20-some years of my life half way between Dayton and Cincinnati, which is the general sphere in which the book takes place. I was also listening to the audio book while driving along the Ohio River on my way to an early Thanksgiving dinner with family. So, whenever the woods were described, I had the convenient ability to simply turn my head and there were the woods being described. Or lack there of because route 32 has long stretches of fields with the woods off in the distance like nature’s fence.

The book itself was first published in 2013, and is the beginning of The 5th Wave trilogy. It describes the world after an alien invasion has wiped out most of the population through a series of events referred to as Waves. First Wave, EMP pulse takes out the electric grid and cars/planes cease working. Second Wave, tsunamis take out pretty much all of the coastal areas. (Or why Wright Patterson Air Force Base becomes central command, despite Cape Canaveral or Annapolis tending to be more well known). Third Wave, a plague that’s like a mix of Bird Flu and Ebola wipes out millions. Fourth Wave, trust no one because the Silencers look human. Cassie, the first protagonist introduced, is left to wonder just what the Fifth Wave could be.

Honorable Mention #2 – The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov

Happy Belated Father’s Day, Jim!

My second Freebie is to my stepfather, who selected this book for me to read. We did toy with the idea of Asimov’s Foundation series, since it’s part of the Great American Read, but after some deliberation, The Gods Themselves was selected. And it’s certainly an adventure.

Originally published in 1972, it won both the Nebula and the Hugo award in literature. It’s set in 3 parts, with a researcher concerned about a new energy source, then in an alternative universe where aliens survive in 3 gendered groupings, and then finally on the moon with a disgraced researcher and an intuitionist creating an inter-dimensional tool.  For one of my few forays into science fiction books, this novel was pretty interesting.