The One by John Marrs

Title: The One
Author: John Marrs
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: 4th May 2015
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Sci-Fi

Summary:
What if a quick DNA test could find your soul mate? 

Would you trust it? Would you trust them?

Review:
I was initially intrigued to this book because the idea was so interesting and different. I mean, it would definitely be something I would do - would save a lot of hassle and heartbreak for sure! However, I was not sure what to expect or what direction the book would take. I was, nonetheless, pleasantly surprised and finished it in two days!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish

Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish
Author: Douglas Adams
Publisher: Pan
Release Date: 1984
Genre: Sci-Fi, Classic, Humour

Summary:
Bleurgh.

Review:
Unfortunately, I brought the fourth instalment at the same time as the third (my dismal review of which can be found here). Like the previous instalments of the series, I did not like this book. I cannot put my finger on what exactly went wrong for this series for me personally. It might be down to the lack of intellectual stimulation this series possess, and everything is just too silly and far-fetched for me.

The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J Walker

Title: The End of the World Running Club
Author: Adrian J Walker
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: 2016
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fiction

Summary:
Edgar Hill could be considered the world's worst father. However, he soon realises what he has and what he will do to protect his wife and children. It only took the end of the world to happen...

Review:
My thing at the moment is running, so when I saw this on the shelf of my local supermarket I was immediately drawn to it. This could have been a fatal mistake and I could have been stuck with a dull read, but I was extremely lucky. I loved this book. 

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Life, The Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams

Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Life, The Universe and Everything
Author: Douglas Adams
Publisher: Pan
Release Date: 1982
Genre: Sci-Fi, Classic, Humour

Summary:
I am not quite sure what happens to be honest...

Review:
As you can probably tell from my very brief summary, I have absolutely no idea what happened in the book. It started with Arthur Dent alone in a prehistoric wasteland and then he is on a cricket pitch and then about one-hundred and fifty pages after he is reunited with all of his friends...

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Title: The Andromeda Strain
Author: Michael Crichton
Publisher: Avon Books
Release Date: 1st September 1969
Genre: Thriller, Sci-Fi

Summary:
When a satellite lands in a sleepy town in Arizona, a state of emergency is called as the whole town mysteriously dies. It is up to five biophysicists to figure out what happened and to ensure it does not happen again.
Review:
I had heard a lot of good reviews about this book but none of them prepared me for how thrilling and gripping it is. I loved it. The characters. The plot. The possibility of the world ending. Perfect.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams

Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Author: Douglas Adams
Publisher: Pan
Release Date: 23rd June 1997
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult, Classics

Summary:
The journey into deep space continues for Arthur Dent, and the crew of the Heart of Gold. But first it is time for food! And where else would they go but Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?

Review:
I absolutely loved the first book in the series (which can be found here) so decided to continue reading to see what happens next. However, whilst the series seemed promising at first - I found the second instalment kind of boring.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Publisher: Pan
Release Date: 27th September 1995
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult, Classics

Summary:
On an average Thursday afternoon, Arthur Dent's world is turned upside down and destroyed. It starts with his house being demolished and ends up with him travelling through hyperspace with his alien pal, Ford.

Don't panic though - this is all for research for the latest edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Review:
I was looking for a new young adult fiction series to follow and thought it would give The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy a try as, after all, it is a classic piece of science fiction.

The Shining by Stephen King

Title: The Shining
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: 1st July 1980
Genre: Thriller, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Classic, Horror

Summary:
When his father becomes the Winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, young Danny Torrance does not know the danger that awaits him. Danny is blessed (or as some may say - cursed) with the shining and the mysterious forces inside the hotel want it badly...

Review:
I made a promise to myself to "try" and look after myself more with all my assignments and drama going on around me so, I thought I would take a stab at The Shining which I have tried to read about three times before.

The Martian by Andy Weir

Title: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: 27th August 2015
Genre: Thriller, Sci-Fi

Summary:

After a NASA mission to Mars, goes horribly wrong Mark Watney is left stranded on the red-planet with no way to communicate with Earth. 

With limited food, water and threat of his life-support systems breaking down at any moment; Watney has to "science the shit out of" the situation to survive.

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

Title: Foxglove Summer

Author: Ben Aaronovitch
Publisher: Gollancz
Release Date: 13th November 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-fi

Summary: 
Peter Grant is back for the fifth installment in the Rivers of London series, in which we find him venturing out of the smog of London to rural Herefordshire to investigate the disappearance of two young girls.

At first it seems that Peter's magical abilities are not required, but upon further investigation a history of mysterious events have led up to present day and Peter steps in to bring order to the countryside.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Title: The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Author: Michael Crichton

Publisher: Arrow Books

Release Date: 1995

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Sci-fi

Summary:

Five years have passed since the disaster at Jurassic Park, and despite the authorities best efforts to keep the islands dangerous inhabitants existence a secret; a gingerbread trail of dinosaur remains are washing up on nearby beaches. Soon enough it attracts unwanted attention from both the good and the bad.

Ian Malcolm is soon back on the island to rescue his friend who has become an unwitting victim of the islands' allure despite still holding both emotional and physical scares from his previous visit. Can he survive a second time or is his time up?

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Publisher: Chicken House
Release Date: 6th October 2009
Genre: Young Adult

Summary:
All Thomas knows is his name when he is transported into the centre of dangerous and puzzling maze. Confronted by an army of boys who have been testing and running the maze for two years, Thomas soon realises that escape is seemingly impossible.

However, everything changes with the arrival of a mysterious girl who brings a message that their little world is in danger, and to live they must find a way out and soon.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 22nd October 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi

Summary: 
As the pressure builds between the factions in the city, Tris and Four make a break for it and venture where no one has gone before.

But will they find what they are looking for? Or will their new home bring more destruction, death and loss?

Review: 
Well, after the disaster that was Divergent (view my review here) and the redemption that was Insurgent (view my review here) I was not sure what to expect from Allegiant. However, I found myself unable to put it down and ended up getting quite burnt whilst reading in on a sunny afternoon!

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Title: Jurassic Park

Author: Michael Crichton

Publisher: Arrow Books

Publication Date: 1991

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Sci-fi

Summary:
John Hammond, a mad, eccentric billionaire, has done the impossible and brought history back to life on a remote island far off of the coast of Costa Rica. He calls it, Jurassic Park.

But his dream is riddled with flaws that, in an unfortunate and terrifying sequence of events, prove that man cannot play God and recreate nature and history.

Review:
I cannot rave about this book enough! It may be quite old and not well known (lets face it, who knew that Jurassic Park was a book before it was a film?) but I could not put this book down and finished it in four days!

Apart from the Harry Potter series, I have not felt so gripped and immersed by a book in a long time! I cannot exactly put my finger on why the plot is so thrilling. I think it is to do with the mix of life threatening danger, like the terrifying tyrannosaurus and velociraptors, and the scientific explanation.

So why would you read the book when you can just watch the film? Well, the book is immensely more detailed in the genetics and reasoning behind how the dinosaurs were recreated whereas the film just brushes over it and leaves unanswered questions. The same is with how a supposed colony of female dinosaurs are able to breed - the book explains this perfectly with a totally logical explanation that could be plausible.

Lets face it though, you probably could not recreate dinosaurs from scratch through the method described by Crichton in the book but it does make you think...

I also liked the foreboding through the constant references to the Chaos Theory. If you watched the film, this keeps you on the edge of your seat as you are constantly wondering when everything is going to go crazy!

Rating: 10/10. I bet you cannot read it without imagining Sam Neill as Dr Grant...

You can buy Jurassic Park from Amazon here.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 6th November 2013
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Summary:

Unrest is tearing the long-established faction system apart and the ideologies of those in power is corrupting Tris's family, friends and world.

Haunted by the horrors of the last simulation, Tris must carry on and fight for the right cause, whichever that is.

But will she survive and at what cost?

Review:

Okay so I was not a big fan of the first book in the Divergent series (which you can read here) but I watched the filmed and loved it.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 28th February 2012
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Summary:
Becoming sixteen is a big deal for all teenagers.

For Beatrice Prior, however, at the age of sixteen she must make a life-changing decision that will change her whole world for she lives in a society divided my factions.

She must choose where she belongs and prove herself to her new "family". Her decision, however, has deadly consequences.

Review: 
I decided to read this book after my best-friend raved about it constantly. However, I was not impressed with her taste in books (which is usually impeccable) this time as I had two major issues with it...