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Comment by Stuart M Rees on May 12, 2013 at 9:36am

“You have the effrontery to be squeamish, it thought at him. But we were dragons. We were supposed to be cruel, cunning, heartless and terrible. But this much I can tell you, you ape – the great face pressed even closer, so that Wonse was staring into the pitiless depths of his eyes – we never burned and tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality.”

Comment by Joseph P on May 12, 2013 at 9:35am

I've read them all, in order, plus all of his non-Diskworld books.  The Watch books are the most interesting setting/cluster-of-characters in the series, in my opinion.

I particularly recommend Small Gods, too.  It's my favorite of the series.

Comment by Stuart M Rees on May 12, 2013 at 9:25am

I decided to start reading Terry Pratchett's Diskworld books this month, and have already finished the first two in the City Watch series, "Guards! Guards!" and "Men at Arms" Here's a quote from the former that made me think about organized religion:

"The Supreme Grand Master smiled in the depths of his robes. It was amazing, this mystic business. You tell them a lie, and then when you don't need it anymore you tell them another lie and tell them they're progressing along the road to wisdom. Then instead of laughing they follow you even more, hoping that at the heart of all the lies they'll find the truth. And bit by bit they accept the unacceptable. Amazing."

Comment by Brian Magee on March 21, 2013 at 9:51am

NASA Scientist Shows How Anyone Can “Make the Break” With Gods and Religion

New book uses science, history to show gods to be a product of human invention

Dr. Reginald J. Exton, a NASA scientist for five decades, shares clearly and succinctly the evidence that points to the human origin of religions in Make the Break (If You Can), the latest title from Humanist Press. To this end, Exton has gathered a representative list of events, scientific observations, and religious developments that lead the reader to the eventual realization that there is voluminous evidence that humanity itself created gods and religions to shield itself from the unknown.

The printed book is in magazine format, making its 64 full-color pages—including pictures, charts and graphs—easy to read and comprehend. The ebook version contains links to additional online content, including a forum where readers can communicate with one another.

“My sincere hope is that the book will help to relieve people of their historical guilt and clarify the individual rights and responsibilities of all human beings,” Exton said. “These hopes are particularly meaningful at the beginning of the twenty-first century as two major religions again conduct crusades against one another, and the political arm of religion in the U.S. strengthens itself to secure by ‘democratic’ means what it cannot obtain by argument.”

Outlining the human origin of religions, Make the Break (If You Can) begins with a brief synopsis of the major developments in the formation of our universe; a description of more recent events in the development of civilization, including the period of religious fervor; and the evolutionary process leading to modern man. From these initial chapters, Exton discusses why religious beliefs are so strongly entrenched in peoples’ thinking and why many maintain these beliefs today. The subsequent chapters list some of the worldwide conflicts that have arisen out of religion; an outline of an astrophysical projection of the ultimate fate of our universe; and offers an alternative to god-based religions that captures the best parts of the various religious rules and philosophies practiced today.

Dr Exton’s scientific career began in 1954 at the University of Richmond, where he majored in physics, graduating with a B.S. in 1958. He completed is education in physics with an M.S. and a Ph.D. at West Virginia University. For the past 50 years, he has been a researcher with NASA at Langley Research Center. During his interesting career, he has worked on reentry physics, atmospheric and oceanographic pollution, laser spectroscopy, hypersonic combustion, aerodynamics, and plasma physics. A list of his publications in these areas can be found at http://asomb.larc.nasa.gov/directory/exton_reginald.htm.

The ebook is available through HumanistPress.com and major online retailers.

Comment by Stephen Goldin on February 17, 2013 at 6:54pm

Mark: Nice site. BTW, "peddling" means selling; "pedaling" means using pedals for locomotion, a la bicycles. (Common mistake.)

Comment by Mark Vandebrake on February 17, 2013 at 6:36pm

Yea, Stephen, the hyperlink is broken but if you search for it it comes up. Just FYI

Comment by Stephen Goldin on February 17, 2013 at 6:35pm

Sorry about that. Try this link https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/44243 with coupon code LW58X.

I figured the title Assault on the Gods was a perfect one for atheist science fiction fans.l

Comment by Mark Vandebrake on February 17, 2013 at 6:35pm

Good to hear Stephen. I'll check out your book. You can learn about my own newly released book "Freethought Resource Guide" at http://freethoughtguide.com So many books... thankfully I have a lot of time! ;-)

Comment by Donna Darko on February 17, 2013 at 6:18pm

Stephen, I'd love to read your book but when I click on your link, I get the message that the book I'm looking for cannot be found. 

Comment by Stephen Goldin on February 17, 2013 at 6:06pm

I've just been through my book Assault on the Gods, cleaning up some minor annoying typos and typesetting errors. To celebrate the clean edition, I'm offering a special President's Day Sale. From now through February 18, you can get Assault on the Gods at 50% off, or $2.50, in all ebook formats. Simply go to its Smashwords page and enter coupon code LW58X when you purchase it.

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