The Engineer of Beasts

The Engineer of Beasts
Author: Scott Russell Sanders
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2019-09-01
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0253045886

“Terrific fantasy . . . Sanders takes readers on a whirlwind tour of a future Earth, where cities are domed for protection against the deadly environment.” —Publishers Weekly After decades of abuse transforms the world into a toxic wasteland, people flee into the safety of a global network of domed cities. Within these safe, orderly spaces, the only animals allowed are machines in the new world’s mechanized zoos, called disneys. Orlando Spinks prides himself on keeping his father’s disney spotless and orderly, until 13-year-old Mooch explodes into his life and down the throat of a mechanized lion. Mooch quickly wriggles her way into Orlando’s heart with her creative mechanical genius, fiery spirit, and passion for real animals. As her rebellious spark spreads to Orlando, they restore the wild spirit to the mechanical beasts, but catch the eye and ire of the Overseers. Beautifully written, The Engineer of Beasts brings together the best of Scott Russell Sanders’s environmental wisdom with skilled world-building and beloved characters. “A keen eye, a sensuous and exact imagination, and a buoyant spirit.” —Ursula K. Le Guin “Sanders’ writing has a polished, literary complexity: images sharply seen, language graceful and well-used, plot-threads spun out, and his cast of characters is wild and wonderful. Thoughtful, patient readers with a taste for satire will enjoy this now-funny, now-tender coming-of-age story.” —Kirkus Reviews “It has a gritty strength and appeal, with humor that tempers the bleakness of the characters’ situations . . . He is a skilled writer well able to challenge and intrigue his readers.” —School Library Journal

Crawdad Creek

Crawdad Creek
Author: Scott Russell Sanders
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 22
Release: 2018-07-11
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0253034779

There's always something happening at Crawdad Creek. That's what Lizzie and Michael call the stream that runs behind their house. Come pan for gold, hunt for fossils, find an arrowhead in the mud or a crayfish under a stone. Watch whirligig beetles and water striders skate across the water, teasing the fish below, and count the turtles sunning themselves on moss-covered logs. Follow tracks along the bank, then sit in quiet amazement as deer, raccoons, and other animals visit the creek. There's a wild and beautiful world here waiting to be discovered. Take the time to look!

Tuf Voyaging

Tuf Voyaging
Author: George R. R. Martin
Publisher: Bantam
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2013-01-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0345538641

Long before A Game of Thrones became an international phenomenon, #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin had taken his loyal readers across the cosmos. Now back in print after almost ten years, Tuf Voyaging is the story of quirky and endearing Haviland Tuf, an unlikely hero just trying to do right by the galaxy, one planet at a time. Haviland Tuf is an honest space-trader who likes cats. So how is it that, in competition with the worst villains the universe has to offer, he’s become the proud owner of a seedship, the last remnant of Earth’s legendary Ecological Engineering Corps? Never mind; just be thankful that the most powerful weapon in human space is in good hands—hands which now have the godlike ability to control the genetic material of thousands of outlandish creatures. Armed with this unique equipment, Tuf is set to tackle the problems that human settlers have created in colonizing far-flung worlds: hosts of hostile monsters, a population hooked on procreation, a dictator who unleashes plagues to get his own way . . . and in every case, the only thing that stands between the colonists and disaster is Tuf’s ingenuity—and his reputation as a man of integrity in a universe of rogues. “A rich blend of adventure, humor, compassion and all the other things that make being human worthwhile.”—Analog “A new facet of Martin’s manysided talent.”—Asimov’s

Beasts of No Nation

Beasts of No Nation
Author: Uzodinma Iweala
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2009-10-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0061844543

“Remarkable. . . . Iweala never wavers from a gripping, pulsing narrative voice. . . . He captures the horror of ethnic violence in all its brutality and the vulnerability of youth in all its innocence.” —Entertainment Weekly (A) The harrowing, utterly original debut novel by Uzodinma Iweala about the life of a child soldier in a war-torn African country As civil war rages in an unnamed West-African nation, Agu, the school-aged protagonist of this stunning novel, is recruited into a unit of guerilla fighters. Haunted by his father’s own death at the hands of militants, which he fled just before witnessing, Agu is vulnerable to the dangerous yet paternal nature of his new commander. While the war rages on, Agu becomes increasingly divorced from the life he had known before the conflict started—a life of school friends, church services, and time with his family, still intact. As he vividly recalls these sunnier times, his daily reality continues to spin further downward into inexplicable brutality, primal fear, and loss of selfhood. In a powerful, strikingly original voice, Uzodinma Iweala leads the reader through the random travels, betrayals, and violence that mark Agu’s new community. Electrifying and engrossing, Beasts of No Nation announces the arrival of an extraordinary writer.

Frankenstein's Cat

Frankenstein's Cat
Author: Emily Anthes
Publisher: Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2013-03-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 142994952X

Winner of 2014 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Best Young Adult Science Book Longlisted for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award One of Nature's Summer Book Picks One of Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Spring 2013 Science Books For centuries, we've toyed with our creature companions, breeding dogs that herd and hunt, housecats that look like tigers, and teacup pigs that fit snugly in our handbags. But what happens when we take animal alteration a step further, engineering a cat that glows green under ultraviolet light or cloning the beloved family Labrador? Science has given us a whole new toolbox for tinkering with life. How are we using it? In Frankenstein's Cat, the journalist Emily Anthes takes us from petri dish to pet store as she explores how biotechnology is shaping the future of our furry and feathered friends. As she ventures from bucolic barnyards to a "frozen zoo" where scientists are storing DNA from the planet's most exotic creatures, she discovers how we can use cloning to protect endangered species, craft prosthetics to save injured animals, and employ genetic engineering to supply farms with disease-resistant livestock. Along the way, we meet some of the animals that are ushering in this astonishing age of enhancement, including sensor-wearing seals, cyborg beetles, a bionic bulldog, and the world's first cloned cat. Through her encounters with scientists, conservationists, ethicists, and entrepreneurs, Anthes reveals that while some of our interventions may be trivial (behold: the GloFish), others could improve the lives of many species-including our own. So what does biotechnology really mean for the world's wild things? And what do our brave new beasts tell us about ourselves? With keen insight and her trademark spunk, Anthes highlights both the peril and the promise of our scientific superpowers, taking us on an adventure into a world where our grandest science fiction fantasies are fast becoming reality.

The Jules Verne Sci-Fi Omnibus - Extraordinary Tales of Fantastical Adventures, Scientific Wonders & Incredibly Prophetic Inventions (Illustrated)

The Jules Verne Sci-Fi Omnibus - Extraordinary Tales of Fantastical Adventures, Scientific Wonders & Incredibly Prophetic Inventions (Illustrated)
Author: Jules Verne
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 2183
Release: 2024-01-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Jules Verne's 'The Jules Verne Sci-Fi Omnibus' is a collection of extraordinary tales that blend fantastical adventures, scientific wonders, and incredibly prophetic inventions. Verne's literary style is characterized by meticulous attention to scientific detail, vivid descriptions of exotic locales, and a forward-thinking imagination that was far ahead of its time. Each story within the omnibus presents readers with a thrilling journey through uncharted territories, both on Earth and beyond, challenging the boundaries of what was believed possible at the time of publication. The inclusion of illustrations enhances the reader's experience, bringing Verne's visionary worlds to life in captivating detail. Jules Verne, often referred to as the 'Father of Science Fiction', drew inspiration from the technological advancements and exploration of the 19th century. His background in law and passion for travel informed his narratives, as he sought to educate and entertain readers with tales that sparked the imagination and encouraged curiosity about the world around them. Verne's ability to predict future inventions, such as submarines and space travel, continues to astonish readers to this day. I highly recommend 'The Jules Verne Sci-Fi Omnibus' to those who are fascinated by the intersection of science and adventure in literature. Verne's timeless stories offer a glimpse into a world where the impossible becomes possible, inviting readers to explore the depths of the unknown and embrace the wonders of human ingenuity.

The Greatest Works of Jules Verne (Illustrated Edition)

The Greatest Works of Jules Verne (Illustrated Edition)
Author: Jules Verne
Publisher: e-artnow
Total Pages: 8814
Release: 2017-10-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 8027223040

This carefully edited collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Contents: Novels Five Weeks in a Balloon Journey to the Centre of the Earth From the Earth to the Moon Around the Moon The Adventures of Captain Hatteras In Search of the Castaways Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea A Floating City The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians in South Africa The Fur Country Around the World in Eighty Days The Mysterious Island The Survivors of the Chancellor Michael Strogoff Hector Servadac The Underground City Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen The Begum's Fortune Tribulations of a Chinaman in China The Steam House Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon Godfrey Morgan or, The Robinson Crusoe School The Green Ray Mathias Sandorf The Star of the South Ticket No. "9672" Robur the Conqueror The Master of the World The Waif of "Cynthia" North Against South or, Texar's Revenge The Flight to France or, The Memoirs of a Dragoon Kéraban the Inflexible Adrift in Pacific or, Two Years' Vacation Topsy Turvy Cæsar Cascabel Mistress Branican The Castle of the Carpathians Claudius Bombarnac Captain Antifer Facing the Flag An Antarctic Mystery Short Stories A Voyage in a Balloon A Drama in Mexico Master Zacharius A Winter Amid The Ice The Blockade Runners Doctor Ox's Experiment Martin Paz Ascent of Mont Blanc The Mutineers of the Bounty Frritt-Flacc An Express of the Future In The Year 2889 Travel The Exploration of the World The Great Navigators of the 18th Century The Great Explorers of 19th Century Miscellaneous A Chinese Banquet Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright best known for his adventure novels and his profound influence on the literary genre of science fiction.