Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline (2011)

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

The book of the time. Everyone was talking about this when I read it. Essential read if you think you are a geek/nerd. There are numerous references to popular culture combines with a witty delivery.

Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet
by Blake Savage (1952)

This science fiction novel was written by Harold L. Goodwin under the pseudonym Blake Savage.

Freshly graduated and commissioned Planeteer (the space-going equivalent of a Marine) Lt. Richard Ingalls Peter (“Rip”) Foster, already contending with inter-service rivalry with the Space Force (equivalent to Navy) crewmen with whom he serves, is tasked with retrieving an asteroid made of pure thorium from the asteroid belt and bringing it to Earth for use as fissionable material. In this he is opposed by agents of the “Consolidation of Peoples Governments”, who also seek control and use of the asteroid.

The science may be way out of date, but it’s still a good rip-roaring yarn.

Warehouse 13: A Touch of Fever
by Greg Cox (2011)

Reports of a genuine psychic healer, along with a simultaneous epidemic of mysterious illnesses, lead Myka and Pete on a hazardous investigation that stretches from a carnival sideshow back to the bloody history of the Civil War. But when Pete is infected with a deadly disease, Myka and the rest of the team, including Artie Nielsen and Claudia Donovan, must track down a pair of cursed gloves—before a madman unleashes a virulent plague upon America!
It’s a good read for fans of the show. You get a bit more insight into the characters and a more developed story. Recommended.

Pulse
by Jeremy Robinson (2009)

HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD YOU KILL TO LIVE FOREVER?
Imagine a world where soldiers regenerate and continue fighting without pause, where suicide bombers live to strike again and again. This is the dream of Richard Ridley, founder of Manifold Genetics, and he has just discovered the key to eternal life: an ancient artifact buried beneath a Greek-inscribed stone in the Peruvian desert.

When Manifold steals the artifact and abducts archaeologist Dr. George Pierce, United States Special Forces Delta operator, Jack Sigler, callsign King, and his “Chess Team” —Queen, Knight, Rook, Bishop and their handler, Deep Blue—give chase. Formed under special order from President Duncan, they are the best of America’s Special Forces tasked with anti-terrorism missions that take them around the world against any threat, ancient, modern and at times, inhuman. With modern weapons, tough-as-nails tactics and keen intellects, they stand alone on the brink, facing the world’s most dangerous threats.

Another fast paced military thriller. This time the monsters just keep coming. It seems that most of the book was a action sequence with a short pause around the two-thirds mark. Keep ’em coming Jeremy. Recommended.

A Fall of Moondust
Arthur C. Clarke (1961)

A Fall of Moondust is a hard science fiction novel that was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novel, it was the first science fiction novel selected to become a Reader’s Digest Condensed Book.

The plot is about a tour of the moon that has an accident, the cruiser becomes trapped beneath the surface of the moon. Most of the book concerns the rescue attempt. At each stage Clarke explains the science and engineering of the situation and the solutions. Despite a seemingly dry subject, it’s a compelling read.

Fuzzy Nation
by John Scalzi (2011)

This is a reboot of H. Beam Piper’s 1962 novel Little Fuzzy.

Authorized by the estate of H. Beam Piper, this was not intended to be a sequel, unlike the books by authors such as William Tuning and Ardath Mayhar. It was originally written as an exercise following negotiations regarding another Scalzi novel. Scalzi’s agent approached the Piper estate for permission to publish the novel. It uses the original plot and characters to tell an original story in a different continuity. Scalzi, a fan of Piper’s work, said that he aimed to make the story approachable to readers unfamiliar with the original while directing fans to Piper’s books.

This is one of Scalzi’s better novels, having read the original it’s easy to see the parallels and joins. Even if you haven’t read the original, this stands on its own as a good read.