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Written Gems Discussion Group
On Goodreads.com, fellow authors Gilbert Stack, William Hahn, and myself, co-moderate a discussion group we call Written Gems, where we hope to introduce works many might not have come across - or having heard of them, hadn't yet considered giving them a read.
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These discussions are never considered 'closed' - so even if a new topic is being discussed, feel free to comment on an older thread. We'd love to hear from you.
Click the link above, or the Written Gems treasure chest below, to join us.
Written Gems Discussions
The Stars, My Brothers -- Edmond Hamilton
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When Reed Kieran leaves his cushy professor job to join the United Nations Reconnaissance Corps, he doesn't know it, but he's about to take a step into the Twilight Zone.
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In similar fashion to Phillip Francis Nowlan's, Anthony Rogers (AKA "Buck" Rogers) of Armageddon 2419 A.D., our hero has an accident and awakens to find himself in the distant future.
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Selected for revivification because of the time period in which he had lived, would Kieran now become a political pawn?
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Visit the Goodreads site to join in this upcoming discussion topic, and for pertinent links on where to find a copy of this cool Hamilton yarn.
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Click the image below to join in discussing this novel.
Double Star -- Robert A. Heinlein
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Double Star is the story of an actor who is hired to impersonate a well-known politician who's been kidnapped in order to prevent a crisis on a solar-system level.
Bonforte, the missing politician, was all set to be inducted into a Martian nest -- a first for humans. It's a big deal, and one with immense ramifications. It would be considered a huge impropriety by the Martians if he doesn't show up to receive this honor -- possibly setting back human-Martian relations indefinitely.
But impersonating the missing man is only part of the conundrum. You see, Lorenzo can't stand Martians. They're weird--and they stink! Can he override his natural aversion for Martian-kind . . . for the sake of Man-kind?
Earth better hope so.
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The Island of Dr. Moreau -- H. G. Wells
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When a man is shipwrecked and picked up by a passing vessel, he finds himself eventually stranded on an island inhabited by strange people, with beast-like features.
The ringleader, who actually appears human, is one whose name he feels he should know . . . there was something odd about him--him, and his proclivities.
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By the time he figures out what's going on upon this island, it's too late, and he must see the adventure through. But he won't do so unchanged!
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Click the image below to join in discussing this novel.
Khaled - A Tale of Arabia -- F(rancis) Marion Crawford
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Khaled, an afrit, becomes a living, breathing mortal man after he slays an Indian prince, and must, therefore, atone for the man's life. But the genii's reasons were pure. You see, he has fallen in love with the lovely Princess Zehowah. She the foul prince planned to wed only to spirit her away to his own country, whilst harvesting her home city of Riad by levying the people beneath a heavy yoke of taxation.
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After facing Azrael, the Angel of Death, and Allah Himself, Khaled is faced with the ultimatum of having to cause the cold-hearted princess to be moved to love him - or to perish everlastingly when the trumpet calls the chosen to Heaven.
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The tale is rife with treachery, war, jealousy, romance and beautifully turned phrases calling to mind the original Oriental tales of Scheherazade. May you never drink boiling brass or become fuel for Hell!
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A Princess of Mars -- Edgar Rice Burroughs
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Diggin' for gold has never been a safe pursuit - especially in the post-Civil War days in Arizona. It is here the novel, narrated by its author, John Carter, himself a veteran of the Confederacy, begins his tale of adventure and romance on the red planet - Mars.
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How he rises from being the lowly prisoner of the savage, green Tharks to being the mate of the most beautiful woman on two worlds is a fascinating tale that has entertained millions for over a hundred years.
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Click the image below to join in discussing this novel.
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