science fiction – Page 7

Caramel reviews Cleopatra in Space: The Thief and the Sword by Mike Maihack

Last week Caramel reviewed Target Practice by Mike Maihack, the first book in the Cleopatra in Space series. Today he reviews the next book: The Thief and the Sword. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: Caramel, you are back to talk about another Cleopatra in Space book with us!

Caramel: Yes!

S: So tell us what happens in this book.

C: I can’r spoil.

S: Sure, but you can give us a couple clues about the general events that happen.

C: Okay. In The Thief and the Sword, Cleopatra is still in PYRAMID, Pharaoh Yasiro’s Research And Military Initiative of Defense. You need to boldface the initials of the words so readers can see that they make up the word PYRAMID.

S: Cool acronym! I like these kinds of acronyms; I remember you reviewed a book with a fun acronym before!

C: Yes, I reviewed N.E.R.D.S. and that too opened up, to mean “National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society”.

S: Well, I did not know the name of the institution Cleo was in before. So is this the special place Cleo is getting trained to save the galaxy?

C: Yes.

S: And who is Pharaoh Yasiro?

C: He is the person who saved a lot of the information they have to fight the bad people. And we never see him because I think he is dead, but we hear about Pharaoh Yosira, who is apparently Yasiro’s granddaughter.

S: Hmm, that is kind of complicated.

C: Yes, Yasiro and Yosira sound pretty similar but you get used to it.

S: I am sure I will.

Caramel is reading Cleopatra in Space: The Thief and the Sword by Mike Maihack. — Caramel is reading *Cleopatra in Space: The Thief and the Sword* by Mike Maihack.

S: So tell me more about the thief and the sword.

C: Cleo recovered the Sword of Kebechet in the first book. And apparently it is a mythical artifact. And the bad people want to get it. They actually do get it because there is a thief named Antony…

S: Hmm, that is a name historically connected to Cleopatra. Anyways who are these bad people?

C: The main bad guy is Xaius Octavian.

S: Wait! Octavian is also a Roman name, like Antony. That is interesting…

C: Yes, hmm, maybe I will need to read up on Egyptian and Roman history. Anyways Octavian leads an army made up of a race called the Xerx. In the animated show these are robots. But in the book they are just a different species of aliens I think.

S: Oh, yes, you ended up watching the show!

C: Yes, I watched a couple episodes. It is a lot of fun. But it is very different from the books. And I like them both. They are both a lot of fun.

S: So I am guessing your first word to describe the book would be “fun”?

C: Yes. And I would say, “colorful” and “lots of action”.

S: Well, that last one is a little bit more than a single word, but okay. I see what you mean. Maybe this is a good place to wrap the review up. Do you think you will be reading the next book?

C: Yes! I’m trying to get my paws on a copy. But till then, maybe we can watch another episode of the TV show?

S: Hmm, we will see. What do you want to tell our readers as we close this up?

C: You know what I am going to say!

S: I think so!

C: I’ll say it anyways. Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel really enjoyed reading Cleopatra in Space: The Thief and the Sword by Mike Maihack, and is looking forward to getting his paws on the next book in the series. — Caramel really enjoyed reading *Cleopatra in Space: The Thief and the Sword* by Mike Maihack, and is looking forward to getting his paws on the next book in the series.

Caramel reviews Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice by Mike Maihack

Recently Caramel discovered Cleopatra in Space, a series of graphic novels by Mike Maihack about the famed Egyptian queen Cleopatra and her futuristic adventures. Today he reviews the first book in the series: Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, tell me about this book.

Caramel: This book is about Cleopatra who goes to the future.

S: Wait, the Cleopatra?

C: Yes the famous Egyptian queen. She is not a queen yet though. She is young, fifteen years old. And she touches a tablet, the Ata tablet, which transfers her to the future.

S: What kind of future? Cleopatra lived about two thousand years ago. Does she come to our time?

C: No, she goes into the far future. There are ray guns and stuff in this future.

S: Hmm, sounds science fiction-y…

C: Yes. It is quite science-fiction-y. She is supposed to save the galaxy, there is a prophesy, and she alone is supposed to save the galaxy. But it is not clear what she will need to do to save the galaxy in this first book. She will have to recover a sword, I think, but she also has to go to school in this future. In her own words, she says,

“Light years from my home planet, millennia in the future, and a supposed savior of the galaxy, and I still have to go to school?!”
Cleopatra

S: Hmm, she does not like school?

C: Yeah. She has to learn a lot of things, and she does not seem to like most of her classes. She is taking Algebra, Biology, Literature, Alien Languages, and Target Practice. But she likes Target Practice; it is her favorite class.

S: So what is she training to use in Target Practice?

C: She is learning to use the ray guns.

S: Hmm, so there are some galactic wars coming up in her future, I suppose.

C: I think so. But the war part has not started yet.

Caramel is reading Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice by Mike Maihack. — Caramel is reading *Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice* by Mike Maihack.

S: Hmm, so it seems like this book is just right up your alley. You like graphic novels, and the book is quite science fiction-y and …

C: And there are space ships! And I like space ships! Hers is shaped like a sphinx.

S: That sounds cool. So tell me three words you’d use to describe this book.

C: Colorful, exciting, historical.

S: So do you learn anything historical from the book?

C: Not much. But Cleopatra is from ancient history and it is fun to see her learn about the far future.

S: And the illustrations are pretty colorful, I agree. I saw that there is a TV series about these books. Did you know about that?

C: Not until now! Can we put in a trailer here?

S: Yes let us do that:

Cleopatra in Space | Official Trailer | Peacock.

C: This looks cool! But I think Akila does not look anything like she does in the book. In the book she looks like a normal person. In the TV series, she looks weird, with pink hair and weird eyes and blue skin.

S: Maybe they wanted to make her look more alien?

C: Yes, she is an alien but in the book she looks like a normal human.

S: Hmm, so I am thinking you don’t want to watch the show?

C: No I did not say that! Maybe we can watch an episode or two. Maybe even tonight?

S: Hmm, we will see about that. What about the book series? Apparently there are five more books about Cleopatra in space.

C: Well, I checked out the second book from my school library already. I will definitely read that one.

S: Sounds like a plan. If you like it, you might even review it for our blog.

C: Yep.

S: So this is probably a good time to wrap things up. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice by Mike Maihack, and is looking forward to reading and reviewing the next book in the series. — Caramel loved reading *Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice* by Mike Maihack, and is looking forward to reading and reviewing the next book in the series.

Marshmallow reviews David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring

Today Marshmallow is reviewing a recently published book by Andrew M. Nehring: David Massie and the Quantum Flux. She received this book as a review copy and appreciated the opportunity to read it.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about school, or if you enjoy science fiction and adventure stories, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): David Massie has been having the same dream for the last two months. In his dream, he is standing in the dark. A strange slithering sound comes from behind him, but in the distance there is a glow. A ghostlike girl reaches out for him, but then he falls down to Earth while everything around him shatters.

At school, a bully named Mike tells David that if David allows him to cheat during an upcoming test, he won’t “beat him up”. David gives him wrong answers and Mike punches him. The principal worries about Mike hurting David further and so asks David’s friend Rory to walk him home. On their way back home, a dark, armored figure presses some buttons, and a purple sphere of light envelops David, barely touching Rory; however neither of them notice.

The next morning, when David wakes up, he notices that the radio announcer is acting strangely, making many religious statements. His parents are dressed in priest-like robes. Everyone he meets is somehow different from how they used to be, and everyone is extremely religious. The only other person who notices this is strange is Rory.

David Massie’s brother Morgan, who had disappeared five years ago on a stormy night, had talked to David about different realities and had been working on a way to travel between them. David and Rory realize that they must have jumped through different realities. David promises he’ll fix it.

Marshmallow is reading David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring. — Marshmallow is reading *David Massie and the Quantum Flux* by Andrew M. Nehring.

The next morning, everyone has to work in construction, including children. School is just labor now. The following morning, the radio announcer is speaking German. When the radio announcer stops in mid-sentence, David notices a man in his room who is wearing blue armor. When David talks to him, the man is surprised that David can see him because he had just stopped time. He tells David that he is a Time Cop David is glad that someone has come to fix the switching realities, and he asks the officer for his badge. The officer says he doesn’t have one but his ID is CP1399457. David decides to call him CP.

David and CP now have to try to find a way to fix the realities, but the mysterious, dark-armored figure is following them. Through his adventure, David uncovers more about his brother, both good and bad.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that David Massie and the Quantum Flux is a good science fiction book. It is the first book of a new series, The David Massie and the Corrupted Light Chronicles, and as a result, the ending is a bit of a cliff hanger, but the book is still satisfying on its own.

I think that the author created an interesting world with realistic characters. The way they travel through different realities reminded me of a classic I reviewed before: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Also a missing brother is somewhat similar to the missing dad in that book and how Meg tries to save his brother is similar to how David Massie is looking for his brother. However this is definitely a different story and I am not sure how things will turn out (though I have some guesses). It will be interesting to see what David Massie does in the following books.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates David Massie and the Quantum Flux by Andrew M. Nehring 95%. — Marshmallow rates *David Massie and the Quantum Flux* by Andrew M. Nehring 95%.

Caramel reviews A Jedi You Will Be by Preeti Chhibber and Mike Deas

Caramel is a little bunny but he is a big Star Wars fan. (Check out his review of 5-Minute Star Wars Stories!) Today he reviews for the book bunnies blog A Jedi You Will Be, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews A Jedi You Will Be, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas. — Caramel reviews *A Jedi You Will Be*, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas.

Sprinkles: Caramel, so you found another book about Star Wars, eh?

Caramel: Yes, but I think you had something to do with it too.

S: Yes, I thought you might like it. Did you?

C: Yes!

S: What is it about then? Tell me.

C: It’s about Yoda talking to you. Yoda is a little green alien who is a Jedi master.

S: And so for the few people who do not know what a Jedi is, can you tell me what they are?

C: A Jedi is a person who can use the Force. The Force is everywhere but some can use it for good or for evil. The Jedi use it for good.

S: Yes, in the Star Wars universe, there is this mysterious force, kind of like magic and kind of like just the essence of life, but these Jedi have the power to channel it to do great things. And Yoda has always been my favorite Jedi!

C: Mine too. I do not know much about the Baby Yoda though.

S: Well, we have not watched the series that have him in them, so we have not met him yet. We know Yoda as a wise old master.

C: He is 800 or 900 years old!

S: Yes, apparently that is how old he is when Luke Skywalker comes to learn from him.

C: Yes, that is what happens in this book too. We go to Yoda’s island with Luke and Yoda talks to us about the Force. He gives a lecture about the Force almost.

S: Yes, he does, it is mainly him telling the reader about the Force and how to achieve hard things in life. Do you want to read to me a bit from the book?

C: Okay, here is some part of the book:

Ready are you?
What know you of ready?
For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi.
Easy it is not. 
A Jedi must have the deepest commitment.
Willing to work hard are you?

Caramel is reading A Jedi You Will Be, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas: "Willing to work hard are you?" — Caramel is reading *A Jedi You Will Be*, written by Preeti Chhibber and illustrated by Mike Deas: “Willing to work hard are you?”

S: So is the book really only about the Force and Star Wars?

C: Hmm, sort of.

S: I think I only partially agree with you. I think some of the advice Yoda gives is pretty applicable to real life.

C: Hmm, yes it is. For example the part I read to you is basically saying working hard is important. Then there is a part where he tells you being big or small is not important. He says, “size matters not!” I like Yoda!

S: He does talk in a strange manner, doesn’t he? His sentences are structured in grammatically incorrect ways. But there are some languages where this type of order (where the subject goes after the verb) might appear.

C: Yes, he speaks funny. He says, “Now close your eyes. Closed are they? See you peeking I do!”

S: That is funny! And you do that too sometimes when I ask you to close your eyes and take a deep breath.

C: No I don’t do that!

S: Yes, you do, when we try to meditate!

C: Hmm, yes, I guess you’re right.

S: Okay, let us wrap up with you telling us three words about this book.

C: Colorful, funny, and grammatically incorrect! But also lots of good advice!

S: Hmm, that is more than three words, but it will do! So what do you say next?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!