The Pandora Sequence by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom: a ship's computer that thinks it's God... and introducing sentient kelp

Coffee and Books. Together they create and immersive get away. Caffeine in coffee wakes the mind to story—the perfect pairing.

This week we're highlighting work by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom: the four-book series titled The Pandora Sequence. It all starts with Destination: Void, a novel penned by Frank Herbert. 

The starship Earthling, filled with thousands of hibernating colonists en route to a new world at Tau Ceti, is stranded beyond the solar system when the ship’s three Organic Mental Cores—disembodied human brains that control the vessel’s functions—go insane.

Next in the series is The Jesus Incident. Herbert paired up with Bill Ransom to write the remaining three books in the saga.

A sentient Ship with godlike powers (and aspirations) delivers the last survivors of humanity to a horrific, poisonous planet, Pandora—rife with deadly Nerve-Runners, Hooded Dashers, airborne jellyfish, and intelligent kelp. Chaplain/Psychiatrist Raja Lon Flattery is brought back out of hibernation to witness Ship’s machinations as well as the schemes of human scientists manipulating the genetic structure of humanity.

Perhaps the most popular in the series is The Lazarus Effect. At this point, the story is so immersive that it would be impossible to finish the Sequence!

In The Jesus Incident Herbert and Ransom introduced Ship, an artificial intelligence that believed it was God, abandoning its unworthy human cargo on the all-sea world of Pandora.

Now centuries have passed. The descendants of humanity, split into Mermen and Islanders, must reunite … because Pandora’s original owner is returning to life!

The final installment of the Sequence is The Ascension Factor. This is where the kelp we mentioned comes in.

Pandora’s humans have been recovering land from its raging seas at an accelerated pace since The Lazarus Effect. The resistance fighters’ main hope is Crista Galli, a woman believed by some to be the child of God. Crista pools her talents with Dwarf MacIntosh, Beatriz Tatoosh, and Rico LaPush to transcend the barriers between the different species and overthrow The Director and the sinister cabal with which he rules.

Be sure and stock up on coffee!

Another thing about the pairing of coffee and books is the smell the create together. When you walk into a bookstore that has an in-house coffee shop, nothing beast the aroma.

Speaking of unbeatable, this week's set of three 99¢ eBooks is amazing.

Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, and D.J. Butler provide the deals for the week. You can get them all here for less than a buck each.