William Gibson's novel tells the story of Henry Dorsett Case, a hacker who uses his brain-computer interface to access the global computer network. Unfortunately for Case, his ability to establish a direct communication pathway to external devices is seared away when his employer discovers he has ...
This is the world in which fireman Guy Montag lives. It is a lonely, desolate existence where people pass one day after another, never reading, enjoying nature or thinking independently. Montag slowly becomes disillusioned and begins to question the meaning of his life. As he does, he discovers the ...
In her near future, time travel is possible, and historians take advantage of the technology to visit and observe events of the past. The main character is Kivrin Engle, a young student specializing in medieval history at the University of Oxford. She asks to be sent to 14th century England, just ...
The story begins when an enormous, cylindrical object appears in our solar system. It's mistaken for an asteroid and dubbed Rama, but scientists quickly learn that it's not a piece of floating space rock, but an alien vessel. A team of astronauts treks out to Rama and explores its vast interior ...
The story focuses on the "first hundred" — the initial party of settlers who must carve out a life on Mars and begin the terraforming process that will pave the way for future settlers. As with any international endeavor of this magnitude, it doesn't take long for disagreements to arise. Some ...
The book's central character is Valentine Michael Smith, a human born during the first manned mission to Mars. After being raised by Martians, Mike returns to Earth, where he experiences human culture as any alien would. But Mike isn't a passive observer. Under the watchful eye of his companions ...
Odor judge has to deal with some of the most unpleasant smells around: cat litter, feet, armpits, and breath. They usually also have to rank these disgusting smells on a scale from 1 to 10.
A noodler is basically a sort of fisherman, who instead of using a pole, uses his own arm to catch catfish. But in order to draw in the fish, they cover their arms in guts, worms, and other wastes.
