Peak Performance Recommended Books: Science Fiction & Fantasy

 

A towering masterwork of science fiction adventure and one of the best-selling science fiction novels of all time, Battlefield Earth opens with breathtaking scope on an Earth dominated for 1,000 years by an alien invader and man is an endangered species. A battle of epic scale, danger and intrigue with the fate of the Earth and of the universe in the tenuous balance.

 

Earth is under attack by aliens. The survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat them. Ender Wiggin... Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child. Recruited for military training by the world government. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? (Ender's Game is the first book of seven in the Ender Wiggins Saga.)

 

A seven book fantasy series revolving around seven fictional "positions" in Purgatory (Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Good and Evil) and the humans who hold them during a certain time in the history of Earth.

 

Jonathan is no ordinary bird. He believes it is every gull's right to fly, to reach the ultimate freedom of challenge and discovery. Flight is the metaphor that makes the story soar. Ultimately this is a fable about the importance of seeking a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe, or neighborhood finds your ambition threatening.

 

This three-part fantasy, set in Roman-occupied Britain, creates the link between The Forest House and The Mists of Avalon and should satisfy fans of both those books. Spanning almost 400 years, it tells the stories of the high priestesses and ladies of Avalon. Recommended for fantasy collections.

 

Le Guin creates a stunning fantasy world that grabs quickly at our hearts, pulling us deeply into its imaginary realms. Four books (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, and Tehanu) tell the whole Earthsea cycle--a tale about a reckless, awkward boy named Sparrowhawk who becomes a wizard's apprentice after the wizard reveals Sparrowhawk's true name. The boy comes to realize that his fate may be far more important than he ever dreamed possible. Le Guin challenges her readers to think about the power of language, how in the act of naming the world around us we actually create that world.

 

The setting of this historical/fantasy novel is Roman Briton. Eilan, a Druid girl who has been raised in the cult of the Goddess with the priestesses wielding the power, has fallen in love with a young Roman named Gaius. He is a half-Briton whose mother was of the Druid tribes and whose father is a powerful officer in the Roman legions. The clash between these two cultures and the eventual hope of unification through Eilan and Gaius's son is one of the book's many story lines. Bradley does a masterful job of creating the flavor of the period and the two diverse cultures, as well as strong female characters. With its elements of love story, intense emotions, and mysticism.

 

Santiago is an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream. Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

 

A series of five books set in an alternate frontier America: a world where folk magic really works, and where that magic has colored the entire history of the colonies. In the first book, Seventh Son, you meet Alvin Miller, the seventh son of a seventh son. Alvin is a Maker and is destined to create a positive new future for America. But to do so he must defeat an ancient enemy, the Unmaker, whose dark magic and deadly plots constantly threaten Alvin's existence. The series continues with Red Prophet, Prentice Alvin, Alvin Journeyman and Heartfire.

 

Even readers who don't normally enjoy Arthurian legends will love this version, a retelling from the point of view of the women behind the throne. Morgaine (more commonly known as Morgan Le Fay) and Gwenhwyfar (a Welsh spelling of Guinevere) struggle for power, using Arthur as a way to score points and promote their respective worldviews. The Mists of Avalon's Camelot politics and intrigue take place at a time when Christianity is taking over the island-nation of Britain; Christianity vs. Faery, and God vs. Goddess are dominant themes.

 

One of the world's great Taoist masters isn't Chinese, or a venerable philosopher, but is in fact none other than A. A. Milne's effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear Winnie-the-Pooh. While Eeyore frets and Piglet hesitates and Rabbit calculates and Owl pontificates, Pooh just is. And that's the clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoists.