The Spin Doctor is IN, for SF&F Literati, 9/28/15

Date: Monday, September 28, 2015-7:00 p.m.

Title: The Cassandra Project

Authors: Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Available from: Fine booksellers, including Barnes & Noble

Meeting Location: Barnes & Noble #2352, 2^nd Floor
11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Two science fiction masters—Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick—team up to deliver a classic thriller in which one man uncovers the hidden history of the United States space program…
 
“Houston, we have a problem…”
 
Formerly a cynical, ambitious PR man, Jerry Culpepper finally found a client he could believe in when he was hired as NASA’s public affairs director. Proud of the Agency’s history and sure of its destiny, he was thrilled to be a part of its future.
 
But public disinterest and budget cuts changed that future. Now, a half century after the first Moon landing, Jerry feels like the only one with stars in his eyes.
 
Then a fifty-year-old secret about the Apollo XI mission is revealed, and he finds himself embroiled in the biggest controversy of the twenty-first century, one that will test his ability—and his willingness—to spin the truth about a conspiracy of reality-altering proportions.

Didn't read it? Come anyway! The conversation is always good—PLUS you get to help pick the next four reading selections! Please com with ideas and/or a list!

IMAGE: Many thanks to the Staffer’s Book ReviewBlog for the cover image.

Start Reading Now! The Cassandra Project for September SF&F Literati

Do you have your copy?

The September Selection for the SF&F Literati is The Cassandra Project, by Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick.

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Two science fiction masters—Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick—team up to deliver a classic thriller in which one man uncovers the hidden history of the United States space program…
 
“Houston, we have a problem…”
 
Formerly a cynical, ambitious PR man, Jerry Culpepper finally found a client he could believe in when he was hired as NASA’s public affairs director. Proud of the Agency’s history and sure of its destiny, he was thrilled to be a part of its future.
 
But public disinterest and budget cuts changed that future. Now, a half century after the first Moon landing, Jerry feels like the only one with stars in his eyes.
 
Then a fifty-year-old secret about the Apollo XI mission is revealed, and he finds himself embroiled in the biggest controversy of the twenty-first century, one that will test his ability—and his willingness—to spin the truth about a conspiracy of reality-altering proportions. 

The meeting is Monday evening, September 28, 2015 at 7:00 p.m., at the Oak Park Barnes & Noble Booksellers #2352, 2^nd Floor, 11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214, but it's not too early to start reading NOW! 

Also in September: Help pick the next four selections. Bring a list!

IMAGE: Many thanks to the Staffer’s Book ReviewBlog for the cover image.

Bring Down Civilization with the SF&F Literati, 8/31/15

Date: Monday, Aug. 31, 2015-7:00 p.m.

Title: Directive 51

Author: John Barnes

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Available from: Fine booksellers, including Barnes & Noble

Meeting Location: Barnes & Noble #2352, 2^nd Floor
11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Part philosophic discussion, part international terrorist faction, and part artists' movement, "Daybreak" consists of a group of diverse people with radical ideas who are united in their desire to take down modern civilization. And when they strike, the government has no choice but to implement its emergency contingency program: Directive 51.

From Publisher’s Weekly:

"Daybreak"--an assault against modern civilization conceived and developed through the Internet--has begun. As plastics and other petroleum products deteriorate and bring the world crashing down, Heather O'Grainne, of the U.S. Office of Future Threat Assessment, is a leader in the government's efforts to stabilize the remnants of American society and prevent total anarchy. It's a sprawling and provocative apocalyptic epic improved by Susan Ericksen's riveting performance. Ericksen (whose voice will be familiar to J.D. Robb fans) sustains the suspense and produces believable regional accents and multicultural and generational characters. An Ace hardcover.

Didn’t read it? Come anyway! The conversation is always good!

Do you have your copy?

The September Selection for the SF&F Literati is The Cassandra Project, by Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick.

IMAGE: Many thanks to the Strange Horizons website, for the cover image.