Listing only books with cover scans...
| Full title | A Devil's Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Dawkins (author) |
| Publisher | Mariner Books |
| Categories | Anthology, biology, essay and science |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| Original publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 978-0-618-48539-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 263 |
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| Full title | The Abominable Earthman [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Frederik Pohl (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 1963 |
| Pages | 159 |
| Synopsis | The Abominable Earthman contains five short stories, and one long-ish one (taking up the bulk of the book). The Abominable Earthman, the titular story, is about what happens when green-skinned aliens conquer Earth in a short span of time, and the adventures of a small group of people who are trying to overthrow them. We Never Mention Aunt Nora is about a most curious pregnancy and an aunt who we don't talk about... A Life and a Half is about a very bleak future which runs very efficiently, alright, but about which something else is off. Punch is a strange little story about benevolent aliens. The Martian Star-Gazers reads like an anthropology report on the previous inhabitants of Mars. Whatever Counts, the longest of the stories, is about a group of colonists and the crew who are hauling them to Aleph Four, a satellite of a Jupiter-like planet a long way off (the journey takes eighteen years). There's also a rhinoceroid alien race of graceful and fast creatures who lack any kind of subconscious who feature prominently (to say more would spoil). Three Portraits and a Prayer is a very short story about a dying scientist, his doctor, and an evil millionaire. |
| Review | Unfortunately, almost all the short stories fell rather flat for me. It's all very well written, but some of the stories left me wondering what the point was. The Martian Star-Gazers stood out for me. There's not a whole lot of action in it, but the way it's written made it very interesting to read. It's written almost as thought it were a piece of anthropology, describing Martian mythology and the stars in their skies and what it meant to them. Whatever Counts, the longest story in the collection, also stood out. There aren't too many main characters and Pohl develops them in style: In the end, one really does care about them and their motives, and the aliens, the Gormen, are enigmatic and fit the story very well. I can't recommend this one unless you really want those two stories. However, you're probably better off buying another Pohl collection with those two in them. |
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| Full title | Accelerando [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Charles Stross (author) |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 0-441-01284-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Online version | Link |
| Pages | 390 |
| Synopsis | Manfred Macx, a heavily augmented transhuman in the early 21st century, is a visionary and a so-called venture altruist: He roams the world, giving ideas away for free and turning paradigms upside-down as a matter of course. The novel follows him towards a technological singularity, his daughter Amber through it, and her son, Sirhan, after it. |
| Review | This novel is somewhat special in that it is chuck full of jargon (e.g. 419) and techno-speculation (e.g. utility fog). Have a dictionary handy if you want to avoid being drowned in it. It's when you understand all of it, if only superficially, that the novel becomes the brilliant flair of wild ideas that it is. |
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| Full title | Airframe [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Michael Crichton (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1997 |
| Original publication year | 1996 |
| ISBN | 0-345-41299-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 431 |
| Synopsis | A passenger plane goes into a series of deep dives and climbs, killing three and injuring many. The novel spans the week following the accident, and follows the team who tries to clear it up. |
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| Full title | The Alchemist [permalink] |
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| Original title | Alquimista, O |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Paulo Coelho (author) and Alan R. Clarke (translator) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 1999 |
| Original publication year | 1988 |
| ISBN | 0-7225-3293-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 177 |
| Synopsis | An allegorical story of a boy who follows his dreams and heart and eventually discovers his true self and finds his treasure. |
| Review | I found it a little too naive to be entertaining, but it's a cute story nonetheless. |
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| Full title | The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Dawkins (author) |
| Publisher | Mariner Books |
| Categories | Biology and science |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-0-618-61916-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 623 |
| Synopsis | A history book about life, in reverse chronology. |
| Review | This 600+ pages book could easily be called Dawkins' magnum opus. It's a history of life, written in reverse chronology, starting with humans and working backwards to the common ancestor to all life. The book is divided into chapters, called Rendezvous, and each rendezvous would be where two twigs on the tree of life meet. If you picture the tree of life, then the book starts at one tip of the tree, humanity, and moves progressively backwards (inwards) to the root of the tree. (Actually, this is slightly misleading. The entire tree of life is an unrooted phylogenetic tree, not a rooted one.) At each rendezvous, a joining pilgrim (sometimes several) gets a chance to tell its Tale, and the tale usually illustrates a point about biology. This is what makes this book such a joy to read. While you're reading you can (and are in fact encouraged to) imagine that you're on a pilgrimage (see subtitle), à la Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. But unlike The Canterbury Tales, this isn't a work of fiction, and you'll inevitably learn a lot of biology while you're at it. In the book, like with most of Dawkins' books, he doesn't shy away from using technical words, but he's very meticulous about explaining ones that may be unfamiliar to the reader. Being a hobby etymologist, this is the kind of writing that I love. (The word 'Neanderthal', for instance, comes from Neander, the valley in Germany in which the original fossil was found, and 'thal', which is German for 'valley'.) And besides, it's a fun challenge for the reader to go look up the words she doesn't understand. This is a thoroughly excellent and riveting book, but be warned that it's also a long and difficult book. Set aside a good chunk of uninterrupted time for it. I read about one-fifth of it (straight) in bed, and the rest during a thirteen-hour bus trip, and I was in a daze for a week. (Maybe partly because I read it on a bus, but mostly because the book itself is so eye-opening.) |
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| Full title | The Art of War [permalink] |
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| Original title | Sūn Zǐ Bīng Fǎ |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Sun Tzu (author) and James Clavell (foreword) |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Categories | Classic and warfare |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| Original publication year | 1981 |
| ISBN | 0-340-27604-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Online version | Link |
| Pages | 102 |
| Synopsis | The Art of War is a classic treatise on war (and tactics in war) and covers topics such as the real purpose of war, different types of ground, how to treat your soldiers, and the use of spies. |
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| Full title | Asimov Laughs Again: More Than 700 Jokes, Limericks, and Anecdotes [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Harper Perennial |
| Categories | Anthology and humor |
| Publication year | 1993 |
| Original publication year | 1992 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-092448-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 341 |
| Synopsis | Unlike Asimov's previous compilation of jokes, Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor, this one isn't divided into categories; rather, it's a long story of one joke flowing neatly into the next one, with banter inbetween. |
| Review | I like this style much better, as evidenced by the copious amount of dog-earing in my paperback edition. Let me give you some samples.
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| Full title | Asimov On Numbers [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Pocket Books |
| Categories | Mathematics and science |
| Publication year | 1978 |
| ISBN | 0-671-82134-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 275 |
| Synopsis | This is a collection of essays by Asimov on numbers and mathematics. It discusses how we got the concept of zero (from India via the Arabs), exponents, factorials, aleph numbers (there are actually different kinds of infinities), pi, imaginary numbers, huge numbers (like googol, but that doesn't even scratch the surface), the metric system (yum), and a host of other stuff. It also has an essay on animals and their sizes. |
| Review | As with most essay collections from Asimov, this one is a sure-fire good read. Asimov explains in detail (but not too painful detail) a lot of difficult mathematics, step by careful step. Unlike a lot of his other collections, this one feels a little miscellaneous, but that doesn't at all detract from its quality. |
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| Full title | Asimov's New Guide to Science [permalink] |
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| Original title | The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science |
| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Biology, chemistry and science |
| Publication year | 1987 |
| Original publication year | 1984 |
| ISBN | 978-0-140-17213-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 880 |
| Synopsis | This is a thick door-stopper of a book, dealing with all of science (and the history of science in general). It's divided into two major parts, The Physical Sciences and The Biological Sciences. |
| Review | Asimov wrote very well fiction, but I think non-fiction is where he shines, and this book is no exception. Go buy it, and get an overview of the vast fields of science! |
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| Full title | Bad Science [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Ben Goldacre (author) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Category | Science |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| Original publication year | 2008 |
| ISBN | 978-0-00-728487-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 370 |
| Synopsis | Bad Science is a book almost entirely dedicated to the exposition of poor and damaging science reporting in the media, especially medical science. (Another major point of the book is focusing on specific people in the media who Goldacre thinks are doing a poor job or a disservice to the public.) This isn't all of the book, however: some chapters (The Placebo Effect and Bad Stats stand out) go into how medical science is actually done and what methods are used in clinical trials. |
| Review | I found the book both entertaining and enlightning, although the book is heavily focused on the UK. If you're from the UK then you'd probably enjoy this book much more than I did, being from Norway. |
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| Full title | Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson: Dikt i utvalg [permalink] |
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| Translated title | Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson: Selected Poems |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Authors | Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (author), Olav Christopher Jenssen (illustrator) and Knut Ødegård (foreword) |
| Publisher | Den Norske Bokklubben |
| Categories | Anthology and poetry |
| Publication year | 1979 |
| ISBN | 82-525-0295-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 124 |
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| Full title | The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Steven Pinker (author) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Category | Psychology |
| Publication year | 2002 |
| ISBN | 0-14-200334-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 509 |
| Synopsis | A very good synthesis of and commentary on the nature-nurture debate from the point of view of an evolutionary psychologist. The book is divided into six parts named "The Blank Slate, the Noble Savage, and the Ghost in the Machine" (in which Pinker outlines the debate and discusses the three doctrines in the title), "Fear and Loathing" (in which he describes the reactions from scientists and lay people to the discoveries of the modern sciences of human nature), "Human Nature with a Human Face" (in which he discusses four fears — inequality, imperfectibility, determinism, and nihilism — that seem to flow from the dismantling of the three doctrines outlined in the first chapter), "Know Thyself" (in which he attempts to allay fears by making human nature explicit), "Hot Buttons" (in which he deals with five topics — politics, violence, gender, children, and the arts — and explain how the sciences of human nature touch on these), and "The Voice of the Species" (which is a single chapter where Pinker draws examples from poetry and literature to illustrate his main points and bring the book to a natural end). |
| Review | A very good book about human nature, and why gut feelings and folk theories on psychology are often wrong (or not right enough). This is the first book on evolutionary psychology I've read, so I had a little trouble keeping up with the parts of the book that described its history and methods, but I think I got the gist of those parts. I especially enjoyed the last part of the book, titled "The Voice of the Species", where Pinker quotes various poets and authors (such as Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, and Kurt Vonnegut), in passages illuminating human nature. I can wholeheartedly recommend this book! |
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| Full title | The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Dawkins (author) |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Categories | Biology and science |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 1986 |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-102616-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 358 |
| Review | The Blind Watchmaker demolishes the argument from design, which was first advanced by the theologian William Paley. In short, it goes like this: If you're walking somewhere and you find a rock, you don't require an explanation for why it's there. But if you find a watch, you'll assume that the watch had a maker. Organisms are complex things, like a watch, so they, too, should require a maker (evolution is the blind watchmaker that the title alludes to). The book introduces biomorphs, creatures in a computer program that can evolve a multitude of shapes based on nine different "genes" (variables) which control how the form grows. Even with only nine genes, the number of forms that can be generated is huge, and the reader is invited to imagine walking through the (nine-dimensional!) space of possible shapes. |
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| Full title | Boy [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Roald Dahl (author) |
| Publisher | Cappelen |
| Category | Autobiography |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 1985 |
| ISBN | 82-02-19319-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 208 |
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| Full title | Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Daniel Dennett (author) |
| Publisher | Viking Books |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 0-670-03472-X [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 448 |
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Part I: Opening Pandora's Box
Part II: The Evolution of Religion
Part III: Religion Today
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| Full title | The Catcher in the Rye [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | J. D. Salinger (author) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 1945 |
| ISBN | 978-0-241-95043-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 230 |
| Synopsis | Holden Caulfield is doing poorly in school, being kicked out of school after school. This new school is no different: Caulfield is being kicked out, but doesn't want to confront his parents about it. He's naive yet street-smart and resourceful, and the book follows his exploits roaming around New York City doing nothing in particular, dreaming, exploring, and horsing around. The title is referencing a dream that Holden has about catching falling bodies coming off a cliff into a rye field. Holden, when explaining this dream to someone, is misremembering a line from the poem Comin' Thro' the Rye: "If a body catch a body / Comin thro' the rye." The line is actually "If a body meet a body / Comin thro' the rye." |
| Review | A fascinating read. I especially liked the conversation in the beginning of the book between him and one of his teachers, Mr. Spencer. Mr. Spencer is trying to help Caulfield by giving him practical advice, but Holden is too distracted to really pay attention, in addition to not wanting to be there in the first place. It's funny watching him trying to worm his way out of it. I think everyone can see something of themselves in Caulfield, even though one doesn't always empathize with him. He's not really a likeable character, but he's charming and funny, and his adventures around New York City makes for an enjoyable read. |
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| Full title | Childhood's End [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 1954 |
| ISBN | 978-0-330-51401-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 256 |
| Synopsis | The novel starts abruptly with two scenes of American and Russian astronauts preparing to embark on their different (irrelevant) missions, only to be halted by the sudden appearance of starships above major cities of the Earth. It's explained in short order how these benevolent aliens manage, in only a few years, to clean up our mess. War, disease, and want are all things of the past, and humanity now lives in peace with itself. Eventually the aliens make themselves and their plans known... |
| Review | This novel is considered by many Clarke fans to be his best (even Clarke himself considered it that, along with The Songs of Distant Earth), and I'll have to tentatively agree (the final verdict will have to wait until I've read more of Clarke's work). The story is engaging and spans many decades, the characters are interesting, the aliens' motives understandable (and even sympathetic), the pacing is good... The only complaint I have is that I wished it was longer. It feels like there should be more to this story! Definitely go pick this up! |
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| Full title | Climbing Mount Improbable [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Dawkins (author) |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Categories | Biology and science |
| Publication year | 1996 |
| ISBN | 978-0-393-31682-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 326 |
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| Full title | Cloud Atlas [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | David Mitchell (author) |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-0-375-50725-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 509 |
| Synopsis | Six separate stories running from the late 1800s into the deep future are interwoven in various ways. The chapters first tell the first part of each story until the middle chapter, where then the second parts of the stories are told in reverse order (see the structure, you'll understand). |
| Review | I watched the movie before reading the book (in fact, watching the movie spurred me into reading it), so my review is naturally colored by that. I loved the movie, and the book is even better. It's extremely well-written, and the tone of each chapter is fitting for the time period. The language of the chapters that take place in the future is also apt. An example from the chapter "Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After", set in the deep future:
I strongly recommend this novel. It's a joy to read from start to finish. |
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| Full title | The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 2001 |
| ISBN | 978-1-85798-323-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 966 |
| Synopsis | A collection of virtually every short story of Arthur C. Clarke. See Structure for links to some of them. |
| Review | The stories are of varying quality, although most are very good (and some are truly excellent). As this is a compilation, it's hard to give a verdict, but I definitely recommend it to you if you're a Clarke fan. |
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| Full title | Cosmic View: The Universe in Forty Jumps [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Kees Boeke (author), Els de Bouter (illustrator) and Arthur H. Compton (introduction) |
| Publisher | John Day Company |
| Categories | Children's and science |
| Publication year | 1957 |
| ISBN | 0381980162 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Online version | Link |
| Pages | 48 |
| Synopsis | Cosmic View is the inspiration for the 1977 IBM short video Powers of Ten. It's a pretty short book written for children (though it's very interesting for adults as well) about the relative sizes of things in the universe. The book differs a bit from the video, mainly in that it explores each scale at more depth. The book starts out showing a girl in Holland, zooming outwards, each time by a factor of ten, 25 times (so that the scale ends up being 1:1025). Each image is accompanied by a bit of explanatory text. Halfway through, the book then zooms inwards, ending at a scale of 1012:1, about the size of an atomic nucleus. |
| Review | I found the book pretty fascinating, if a bit short and not as detailed as I'd wished it to be. However, I can't hold that against it as it's really a children's book. I can heartily recommend it. |
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| Full title | Cosmos [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Carl Sagan (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Astronomy, biology, chemistry, history, physics and science |
| Publication year | 1985 |
| Original publication year | 1980 |
| ISBN | 978-0-345-33135-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 324 |
| Synopsis | Cosmos is, as its title suggests, a book about the Cosmos. It's based upon (and can be considered a companion to) the TV series of the same name. There are thirteen chapters, each corresponding to the thirteen episodes. The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean is setting the tone for the rest of the book. Sagan discusses the Cosmos on its largest scales, putting the Earth in perspective. He then discusses early attempts to measure the size of the Earth. One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue is about evolution and our own species. It discusses various potential biologies that could be evolved on other worlds and muses on the implication of all this. In the chapter Harmony of the Worlds, Sagan really shines. This chapter deals with astrology, astronomy, and the histories of both. (Sagan was an astronomer.) He explains Kepler's Laws, goes into the geocentric vs heliocentric models of the Solar System, and the history of planetary observation and theory-making. Heaven and Hell is all about comets and asteroids. Sagan discusses the Tunguska event and the impact craters on the Moon, among other things. Blues for a Red Planet is about Mars in fiction and fact. He goes into the canali of Giovanni Schiaparelli and Percival Lowell, H. G. Well's The War of the Worlds, and the Barsoom novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs. He then discusses the Mars probes and the potential for terraforming Mars. Travelers' Tales is about the sailing ships and the discoveries made during the Age of Exploration, with respects to astronomy and the study of the Cosmos. The Backbone of Night is a discussion of myths from around the world on the creation and system of the Universe, veering into a discussion of the scientific explanations (and the evidence). There's a very charming three pages of imagined inner monolog by a curious and primitive ancestor dealing with his explanation for the stars. The chapter title is a reference to the name for the Milky Way that the !Kung people of the Kalahari desert use for it. Travels in Space and Time is about the immensity of space and time. It begins with a discussion on constellations and astrology, and has a wonderful illustration of how a constellation (in the example, The Big Dipper) would look from other angles and in other eras. It then launches into an extended explanation of the speed of light and the various paradoxes attending it (such as time dilation). The Lives of the Stars is about atoms, chemistry, and the lives of the stars (ahem), meaning the fates and types of stars (white dwarfs, neutron stars, supernovas, etc.). The Edge of Forever lives up to its title. Its subject matter is the beginning of time, the extent of the Cosmos, and a very entertaining discussion on higher dimensions (reminiscent of, even directly referent to, Flatland). It also discusses mythological theories on the nature of time and the Cosmos. The Persistence of Memory is about information, in the form of DNA and brains. Encyclopaedia Galactica is really about galactic citizenship. It goes into UFOs, SETI, the Drake equation, and contact with other intelligent beings (what it would look like and what the implications would be). This is one of the more interesting chapters. The book ends on a somewhat morose note with Who Speaks for Earth? The chapter deals with the planet and its various challenges, most conspicuously nuclear weapons and what to do about the potentiality of our destroying ourselves. After so many chapters of uplifting speculations and explorations of immensity, this chapter is a very sobering read. |
| Review | Where to start? When I watched the TV series in 2007 I was utterly blown away, and the book is even better. Being a book it's also much more detailed. If you've read anything by Sagan you know what to expect, but this work is simply breath-taking in its breadth and depth. It's personal, uplifting, educational, interesting... If you want to get a (biased, in a good sense) overview of the history of ideas and science, go read it. |
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| Full title | Cradle [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee |
| Publisher | Orbit Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1989 |
| Original publication year | 1988 |
| ISBN | 0-7088-4318-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 374 |
| Synopsis | This novel primarily follows three people: Carol Dawson, a journalist for the Miami Herald; Nick Williams, a diver, adventurer, and boat owner; and his partner, Troy Williams. Carol, interested in a curious incident of a beached whale and a rumour about a submerged Navy missile, decides to enlist the help of Nick and Troy. |
| Review | Unfortunately, this novel isn't so much science fiction as thriller and drama, which was a little disappointing. It would make a good movie I think, but as a novel the story isn't driven forward as it should, there is too much characterization (without meaning), and the ending fell absolutely flat for me. You can safely skip this one. |
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| Full title | Dandelion Wine [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Ray Bradbury (author) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 1957 |
| ISBN | 978-0-00-728474-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 319 |
| Synopsis | Originally a series of short stories, this novel is about quiet Middle American life in the fictional Green Town, Illinois. The story mainly follows twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding and his brother, Tom, with minor characters scattered about. The novel is about nothing in particular, except the musings of Doug about rather adult themes like life and death. The title is a metaphor for good summer memories, and in the story it's a real beverage that Doug and his grandfather actually tap into bottles for the long winter ahead. There is a sequel, Farewell Summer. |
| Review | Despite being well-written, I found this novel at times boring, and I was a little disappointed that it didn't go anywhere; there's no real story here. There are a few memorable scenes, however, like the meeting between the gang (Doug, Tom, and Charlie) and Colonel Freeleigh and between the young reporter and the old woman. |
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| Full title | Dangerous Visions [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Harlan Ellison (editor), Diane Dillon (illustrator), Leo Dillon (illustrator), Isaac Asimov (foreword), Brian W. Aldiss, Carol Emshwiller, Damon Knight, David R. Bunch, Frederik Pohl, Fritz Leiber, Henry Slesar, Howard Rodman, J. G. Ballard, James Cross, Joe L. Hensley, John Brunner, John Sladek, Jonathan Brand, Keith Laumer, Kris Neville, Larry Eisenberg, Larry Niven, Lester del Rey, Miriam Allen deFord, Norman Spinrad, Philip José Farmer, Philip K. Dick, Poul Anderson, R. A. Lafferty, Robert Bloch, Robert Silverberg, Roger Zelazny, Samuel R. Delany, Sonya Dorman and Theodore Sturgeon |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 1975 |
| Pages | 544 |
| Synopsis | An anthology with short stories which each presents a "dangerous vision" (although I would call them "visions for thought"). |
| Review | These thirty-two stories are all excellent in their own ways, but some stand out as superbly excellent. They are Shall the Dust Praise Thee?, Evensong, The Malley System, Carcinoma Angels, and A Toy For Juliette. Go buy this book. |
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| Full title | The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Alister McGrath (author) and Joanna Collicutt McGrath (co-author) |
| Publisher | SPCK |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-0-281-05927-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 78 |
| Synopsis | A review, synopsis, and a criticism of Dawkins' The God Delusion, The Dawkins Delustion? examines the issues raised there. |
| Review | The book is pretty well presented, but unfortunately it was very boring and lacks substance. It really could be shortened down to an essay. The main message from the book is that Dawkins' book doesn't take enough into account, and that his criticism of religion is unfounded. |
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| Full title | De dødes tjern [permalink] |
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| Translated title | Lake of the Dead |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Author | André Bjerke (author) |
| Publisher | Aschehoug |
| Categories | Crime and novel |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 1942 |
| ISBN | 978-82-03-18497-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 191 |
| Synopsis | A group of people (including the author's alter ego, crime author Bernhard Borge) travel into the woods to explore the mystery around the eponymous Lake of the Dead. |
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| Full title | Deception Point [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Dan Brown (author) |
| Publisher | Pocket Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 2002 |
| Original publication year | 2001 |
| ISBN | 0-671-02738-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 558 |
| Synopsis | NASA discovers a meteoric rock under the Milne Ice Shelf which contains a fossil, and the story centers around this remarkable find. Involved in their own ways are a senator, a senator's daughter, a senator's aide, the U.S. President, and several organizations. |
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| Full title | Discoveries [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Alan Lothian (introduction), Arthur C. Clarke, Bob Shaw, Greg Bear, Ian McDonald, Ian Watson, Mike McQuay, Paul J. McAuley, Robert Holdstock and Tricia Sullivan |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 1995 |
| ISBN | 0-575-06258-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 190 |
| Synopsis | I can't remember where I got this book, but I reckon it's pretty rare to come across as it's not normally sold, but was given away free with the October 1995 issue of BBC Focus. It's an anthology of short science fiction stories from budding British authors. |
| Review | A few of the stories fell flat, but some are good (I really enjoyed Blood Music). If you happen to come across it, you might want to buy it, if only for its rarity. |
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| Full title | Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? [permalink] |
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| Alternative title | Blade Runner |
| Language | English |
| Author | Philip K. Dick (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1982 |
| Original publication year | 1968 |
| ISBN | 0-345-35047-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 216 |
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| Full title | Døde menn går i land [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Translated title | Dead Men Walk Ashore |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Author | André Bjerke (author) |
| Publisher | Aschehoug |
| Categories | Crime and novel |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 1947 |
| ISBN | 978-82-03-19323-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 272 |
| Synopsis | A business man decides to re-purpose an old house on the southern coast of Norway to a summer hotel. There's a superstition among the locals that the house is haunted, and a gang of friends travel down to stay there. Scary things ensue... |
| Review | I don't normally read crime novels, but André Bjerke is really good at setting the mood, and he writes with wonderful wit, humor, and knowledge. (For instance, there's an Omar Khayyam poem in it!) A riveting read, and definitely recommended. |
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| Full title | Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in A.D. 922 [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Author | Michael Crichton (author) |
| Publisher | Arrow Books |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 1997 |
| Original publication year | 1976 |
| ISBN | 978-0-099-22282-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 186 |
| Synopsis | Being the inspiration for the movie The 13th Warrior, this is a story about an Arab's adventures with Vikings, battling a dangerous and mysterious enemy who might or might not be completely human, the Eaters of the Dead (which they do). |
| Review | I really enjoyed this one, mainly because of the intelligence and questioning nature of the protagonist, the Arab Ahmad ibn Fadlan (a real person). He is sent as an ambassador by the Caliph of Baghdad to the king of the Volga Bulgars, although he never reaches his destination, instead joining a band of Vikings in their quest to beat the wendol, as the Vikings call the Eaters. I give it a thumbs-up. |
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| Full title | Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Lynne Truss (author) |
| Publisher | Profile Books |
| Category | Language |
| Publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 1-86197-612-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 204 |
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| Full title | Edgar Allan Poe Collected Stories and Poems [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Edgar Allan Poe (author), Aubrey Beardsley (illustrator), Édouard Manet (illustrator), Gustave Doré (illustrator), Harry Clarke (illustrator) and John Tenniel (illustrator) |
| Publisher | CRW Publishing |
| Categories | Anthology, novel and short stories |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-1904919773 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 374 |
| Synopsis | This is a collection of Poe's works. It's a big and beautifully-bound book, with illustrations for all the stories and poems. |
| Review | If you've never read anything by Edgar Allan Poe before, you're in for a major treat. I can highly recommend some stories: The Pit and the Pendulum (about a man being kept captive during the Spanish Inquisition), The Gold Bug (about a man discovering an ancient treasure map), The Premature Burial (about exactly what the title says), The Cask of Amontillado (about a drunk man meeting a horrifying death), The Tell-Tale Heart (about a murderer who hallucinates his victim's heart beat), and Shadow — A Parable (about whispers in the night, not to spoil it). I can heartily recommend this book, or any other Poe collection, for that matter. |
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Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque
Poems
Later Poems
Poems Written in Youth
Poems Now First Collected
Additional Poems Attributed to Poe
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| Full title | The End of Eternity [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 2000 |
| Original publication year | 1959 |
| ISBN | 978-0-586-02440-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 189 |
| Synopsis | Mankind has opened Eternity, and a group of people there constantly interfere with the Centuries to iron out mistakes and keep mankind safe. |
| Review | I normally don't like time-travel stories because they're confusing. This one is also pretty confusing, but it's well-written confusion, and I can recommend it on that point alone. |
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| Full title | The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Sam Harris (author) |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 0-393-32765-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 348 |
| Synopsis | The central thesis in End of Faith is that faith is dangerous, because beliefs unsupported by evidence, when put into action, can't be reasoned with. Harris gives a lot of historical examples of this (indeed, the book has a pretty extensive bibliography in the back), and the book is peppered with endnotes (and a few pages-long ones, at that!). The last two chapters are called A Science of Good and Evil (where Harris tries to map out an emerging science of morality) and Experiments in Consciousness (where Harris basically advocates meditation as a rational way of garnering knowledge about subjectivity, and where he doesn't reject the notion of consciousness surviving physical death). While I reject the notion that personhood survives death (that is, I think consciousness is dependent upon the brain being able to function properly and that when it eventually succumbs to decay, that'll be the end of us), I can wholeheartedly join Harris in admitting ignorance on that question. |
| Review | While I can't say the book was an entirely enjoyable read, it's definitely well-written and engaging. What turned me off was the incessant referencing to past atrocities. However, that was in part (I think) the intent of the book, and in that sense it succeeded. I can definitely recommend it, nonetheless. |
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| Full title | Expanded Universe [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein (author) |
| Publisher | Baen Publishing Enterprises |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| Original publication year | 1980 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7434-9915-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 705 |
| Synopsis | A collection of short stories and essays, the essays focusing for the most part on WWII and the atomic bomb. |
| Review | A really nice read. I especially liked How to Be a Survivor, Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon, and Paul Dirac, Antimatter, and You. |
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| Full title | Expedition to Earth [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 1982 |
| Original publication year | 1953 |
| ISBN | 0-345-31057-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 165 |
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| Full title | Fantastic Voyage [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1966 |
| ISBN | 0-553-27572-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 186 |
| Synopsis | Miniaturization is reality, but indefinite miniaturization isn't; that knowledge resides within the brain of Jan Benes, a scientist who defects to the West. Unfortunately, there is an assassination attempt which leaves Benes comatose, and a blood clot develops in his brain. A team of scientists are miniaturized and injected into Benes' body in a submarine rudimentarily outfitted with a laser and have only 60 minutes to remove the clot before they are de-miniaturized (which would make the submarine expand and in the process kill Benes). |
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| Full title | Farewell Summer [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Ray Bradbury (author) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-0-00-728475-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 166 |
| Synopsis | Farewell Summer is a sequel to Dandelion Wine, and takes place the following year (another summer). It continues the theme of a boy's childhood summer, and adds in a conflict (of sorts) between two generations. |
| Review | Like its prequel, I found this novel too a little boring, but the scene where the mischievous boys sneak into the clock tower was entertaining. I can't recommend this one, but if you liked the prequel, chances are you'll like this one as well. |
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| Full title | The Fifth Essence: The Search for Dark Matter in the Universe [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Lawrence Krauss (author) |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
| Categories | Astronomy, physics and science |
| Publication year | 1989 |
| ISBN | 0-09-174211-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 342 |
| Synopsis | This book is in large part about particle physics, with the main theme being an exploration of dark matter and its implications. There are very few equations, and those are fairly simple to follow. However, there's a lot of physics jargon, making it a little hard to follow at times for the non-physicist. |
| Review | As a layman I found this book very interesting, although I feel someone with a deeper knowledge of physics (in particular particle physics) would enjoy it even more. Nonetheless, Krauss makes a valiant effort at explaining a very difficult subject. I especially enjoyed the long section about how we've modeled (and simulated) the formation of large-scale structure. It's really amazing how well gravity can explain large structures. If you're at all interested in dark matter, I heartily recommend this book, even though it's a little dated by now (for instance, it talks about the Superconducting Super Collider). |
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Part IThe Stuff of Matter
Part IIWeighing the Universe... and Coming up Short
Part IIIWhy the Universe is Flat: The Big Bang, Large-Scale Structure, and the Need for Something New
Part IVThe Neutrino Saga and the Birth of Cold Dark Matter
Part VThe Candidates
Part VIDesperately Seeking Dark Matter
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| Full title | Fifty Short Science Fiction Tales [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Authors | Groff Conklin (editor), Isaac Asimov (editor), A. E. van Vogt, Alan Bloch, Alan E. Nourse, Alan Nelson, Albert Hernhuter, Anthony Boucher, Arthur C. Clarke, Arthur Feldman, Arthur Porges, Avro Manhattan, C. M. Kornbluth, Cleve Cartmill, Damon Knight, David Grinnell, Edward G. Robles, Edward Grendon, Eric Frank Russell, Evelyn E. Smith, Frank M. Robinson, Fredric Brown, Fritz Leiber, H. B. Hickey, Howard Schoenfeld, Idris Seabright, Jack Finney, James Causey, James H. Schmitz, John D. MacDonald, John Lewis, John P. McKnight, Karen Anderson, Lion Miller, Mack Reynolds, Marion Gross, Mildred Clingerman, Peter Cartur, Poul Anderson, Ralph Williams, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Sheckley, Roger Dee, S. Fowler Wright, Stuart Friedman, T. P. Caravan, Theodore Sturgeon, W. Hilton-Young, Walt Sheldon, Will Stanton, William Tenn and Winston K. Marks |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 1963 |
| ISBN | 0-684-84296-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 287 |
| Synopsis | Fifty short-short stories from fifty different authors are collected here. |
| Review | Almost all of the stories are truly excellent, and I have transcribed some of the best ones and put them on my Short Stories page (Men Are Different, Texas Week, The Haunted Space Suit, and Counter Charm). Go there for a sample before you buy the book. (You will buy it, remember.) |
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| Full title | Flatterland: Like Flatland, only more so [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Ian Stewart (author) |
| Publisher | Basic Books |
| Categories | Mathematics, novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 2001 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7382-0675-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 294 |
| Synopsis | Flatterland is sort of an unofficial sequel to Abbott's classic Flatland, written in modern non-Victorian English. Although Victorian English gave the original a pretty classy feel, Flatterland doesn't disappoint. Its aim is similar to that of the original: To explain new mathematical concepts to lay people in lay language. |
| Review | The book succeeds brilliantly. It's filled with illustration to help visualize the concepts, and the stories around which the concepts are introduced are reminiscent of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (well, the fact that chapters have names like The Topologist's Tea-Party and Along the Looking-Glass probably helps), and this gives the book a whimsical tone (that's a benefit). Here's a sample:
The book also ventures a little into physics, explaining things like the Schrödinger's cat, the double-slit experiment, time travel, and forces. But the meat of the book is mathematics. |
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| Full title | Freedom Evolves [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Daniel Dennett (author) |
| Publisher | Viking Books |
| Categories | Philosophy, psychology and science |
| Publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 0-670-03186-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 347 |
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Chapter 1: Natural Freedom
Chapter 2: A Tool for Thinking About Determinism
Chapter 3: Thinking About Determinism
Chapter 4: A Hearing for Libertarianism
Chapter 5: Where Does all the Design Come From?
Chapter 6: The Evolution of Open Minds
Chapter 7: The Evolution of Moral Agency
Chapter 8: Are You Out of the Loop?
Chapter 9: Bootstrapping Ourselves Free
Chapter 10: The Future of Human Freedom
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| Full title | The God Delusion [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Dawkins (author) |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-0-618-68000-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 406 |
| Synopsis | The God Delusion unapologetically criticizes religion (as the title implies, belief in gods is a delusion, on the same level as believing you're Napoleon). First off, he tries to avoid confusion with the way Einstein and Hawking have used religious terms to express their appreciation of contemplating the universe, by invoking what he calls Einsteinian religion (neither Einstein nor Hawking are theists, by the way). In that respect, Dawkins tells us that he's a deeply religious non-believer, but dislikes using the word, instead preferring to reserve it for traditional religion. |
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1: A Deeply Religious Non-Believer
2: The God Hypothesis
3: Arguments for God's Existence
4: Why There Almost Certainly is No God
5: The Roots of Religion
6: The Roots of Morality: Why Are We Good?
7: The 'Good' Book and the Changing Moral Zeitgeist
8: What's Wrong With Religion? Why Be So Hostile?
9: Childhood, Abuse and the Escape From Religion
10: A Much Needed Gap?
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| Full title | God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Christopher Hitchens (author) |
| Publisher | Twelve |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-0-446-50945-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 354 |
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| Full title | The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question? [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Leon Lederman (author) and Dick Teresi (co-author) |
| Publisher | Mariner Books |
| Categories | Physics and science |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 1993 |
| ISBN | 978-0-618-71168-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 434 |
| Synopsis | Details the history of physics from Thales in antiquity up to the present. |
| Review | The title of the book refers to the Higgs boson, a particle now (at the time of writing, September 2009) being sought by the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) particle accelerator in Geneva. The book does a good job of explaining particle physics, and it's funny, too. The book is a little out-dated in that it refers to the now-cancelled SSC (Superconducting Super Collider) accelerator. There are some very entertaining passages in the book where Leon talks physics with an imaginary Democritus (Democritus of Abdera was the first Greek to suggest that the world was made of atoms), which I immensely enjoyed. I heartily recommend this book if you want to learn a little bit of particle physics. |
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| Full title | The Gods Themselves [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1990 |
| Original publication year | 1972 |
| ISBN | 0-553-28810-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 293 |
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| Full title | Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Neil Gaiman (author) and Terry Pratchett (author) |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Categories | Fantasy and humor |
| ISBN | 0-441-00325-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Synopsis | A demon and an angel, Crowley and Aziraphale, having become good friends on Earth, decide to postpone the end of the world by keeping a close eye on the Antichrist, making sure he doesn't make a choice between good and evil. |
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| Full title | The Grand Design [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Leonard Mlodinow (author) and Stephen Hawking (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Astronomy, physics and science |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| ISBN | 978-0-593-05829-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 200 |
| Synopsis | The Grand Design is a book about how the universe can come from nothing. It explores and explains M-theory and speculates about the elusive Theory of Everything.
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| Full title | The Great Gatsby [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Francis Scott Fitzgerald (author) and Matthew J. Bruccoli (supplemental) |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 1995 |
| Original publication year | 1925 |
| ISBN | 0-684-80152-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 221 |
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| Full title | The Great Scientists: From Euclid to Stephen Hawking [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | John Farndon (author), Alex Woolf (co-author), Anne Rooney (co-author) and Liz Gogerly (co-author) |
| Publisher | Eagle Editions |
| Categories | History and science |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-1-84193-300-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 158 |
| Synopsis | A book about scientists from Euclid, Archimedes, and Ptolemy to Faraday, Darwin, and Hawking, and the science they invented or practiced. |
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| Full title | The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Dawkins (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Biology and science |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| ISBN | 978-0-593-06173-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 470 |
| Synopsis | A book about the evidence for evolution. The first chapter begins by inviting the reader to imagine that they're a teacher of Roman history, and that they have to waste their time with a rearguard defense against people who try to persuade your pupils that there never was a Roman empire (which is akin to how biologists today have to spend their time). The rest of the book is devoted to laying out the actual evidence for evolution, while debunking some claims against it (for instance, that there are missing links, which is simply based on a Victorian misunderstanding). I found the chapters dealing with radiometric dating and dendrochronology especially enlightening. The last chapter takes the last paragraph of Darwin's On the Origin of Species and unpacks and explains it, with each sentence being a sub-heading. |
| Review | Dawkins says in the book that he wrote this book, a book about the evidence for evolution, because none of his other books explicitly lay this out (they only assume evolution is true). In contrast, this book lays it all out, in meticulous detail. It's a relatively light read, but as with most books of this kind, you have to pay close attention when reading, or you might miss important points. I definitely recommend it. |
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| Full title | Gulliver's Travels [permalink] |
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| Alternative title | Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Jonathan Swift (author) and Robert DeMaria (introduction) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Fantasy, novel, satire and travel |
| Publication year | 2003 |
| Original publication year | 1726 |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-143949-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 306 |
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Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver
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| Full title | Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Paul Graham (author) |
| Publisher | O'Reilly |
| Categories | Computing and science |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 0-596-00662-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 271 |
| Synopsis | This book is a collection of essays from Paul Graham, most of which can be found on his web site (with the exceptions of Good Bad Attitude, Mind the Gap, Programming Languages Explained, and The Dream Language). The essays deal with the hacker culture, startups, and how to make good things. |
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| Full title | The Happy Atheist [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | P. Z. Myers (author) |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books |
| Categories | Religion and skepticism |
| Publication year | 2013 |
| ISBN | 978-0-307-37934-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 190 |
| Synopsis | The Happy Atheist is Myers' first book. Readers familiar with his blog Pharyngula will know what to expect. The book deals with religion and atheism from a lot of different angles, and in essence it's a popular book written for a popular audience, using popular arguments. This is not to say that the book is simplistic, just that it isn't scholarly. If you want a preview of the book, read his essay "Planet of the Hats", which in the book is the chapter called "About the Author". |
| Review | I half-expected the book (having read Myers' blog) to be much more angry than it is. In fact it's a very funny, lively, and readable book, and at no point was I bored. (In fact, I had trouble putting it down. I didn't read it in one sitting, but two.) |
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| Full title | Hercolubus or Red Planet [permalink] |
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| Original title | Hercólubus o Planeta Rojo |
| Language | English |
| Author | V. M. Rabolú (author) |
| Publisher | A. Prats Editor |
| Category | Miscellaneous |
| Pages | 52 |
| Synopsis | The author claims that a planet, Hercolubus, is headed for Earth, and that this is something scientists deny. The author further claims that nothing we do can stop it. |
| Review | What can I say? I read it on a bus trip because I was bored, and I can't remember where I got the book. I can't recommend it. If you're interested, however, you might find out more about it online. |
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| Full title | Hitch-22: A Memoir [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Christopher Hitchens (author) |
| Publisher | Atlantic Books |
| Categories | Autobiography and memoir |
| Publication year | 2011 |
| Original publication year | 2010 |
| ISBN | 978-1-84354-922-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 435 |
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| Full title | The Human Body: Its Structure and Operation [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Isaac Asimov (author) and Anthony Ravielli (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Signet Books |
| Categories | Biology and science |
| Publication year | 1963 |
| ISBN | 978-0451617743 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 309 |
| Synopsis | Goes through the human body, from head to torso, muscles to blood, skin to genitalia, explaining in good detail how it all works. |
| Review | As always, it's written in clear prose, and is easily accessible. If you have a moderate interest in human anatomy, this is the book for you. |
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| Full title | The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Lewis Carroll (author) and Mervyn Peake (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Lighthouse Books |
| Categories | Nonsense and poetry |
| Publication year | 1948 |
| Original publication year | 1876 |
| Pages | 46 |
| Synopsis | A group of people (a Bellman, a Boots, a Bonnet-maker, a Barrister, a Broker, a Billiard-marker, a Banker, a Butcher, a Baker, and a Beaver) leave on a ship to hunt the eponymous snark, a strange creature which, if it is of the Boojum type, will make you vanish and never be seen from again! |
| Review | A very short, humorous, and entertaining absurd poem; the helmsman's brought a blank map (much easier to read, you see), the Baker forgets his name and luggage, the captain gives contradictory navigation orders, etc. Some words are just made up, like Snark, Boojum, and fromious. The general feel of the poem is of playful punning and light-hearted rhymes. I definitely recommend it, though since it's so short, there's not much to say about it. |
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| Full title | I. Asimov: A Memoir [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Category | Autobiography |
| Publication year | 1995 |
| Original publication year | 1994 |
| ISBN | 0-553-56997-X [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 578 |
| Synopsis | This is Asimov's third and last autobiography, started in early 1990 after a complicated operation, and finished in May 1990 (Asimov died in 1992). His two previous autobiographies are called In Memory Yet Green and In Joy Still Felt, and their titles, Asimov tells in this book, are from a poem by Asimov himself:
From this, Asimov wanted to call this third volume The Scenes of Life, but sadly that title didn't survive editorial tampering. |
| Review | This is a more or less chronological account of Asimov's life, arranged in 166 smallish chapters, each dealing with a different subject or person (Asimov had a lot of well-known friends), and everything is thoroughly entertaining. If you pick up this book, I promise you'll have a hard time putting it down. |
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| Full title | Imperial Earth [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Vista |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1997 |
| Original publication year | 1975 |
| ISBN | 0-575-60158-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 287 |
| Synopsis | The year is 2276, and the furthest world colonized by mankind is Titan, the largest moon of Saturn (and one of the largest in the Solar System). Titan is home to a quarter of a million people, selected for intelligence, endurance, and any other characteristic necessary for such a mission. Among them is a powerful political trio, Malcolm Makenzie (the "grandfather"), Colin Makenzie (the "father"), and Duncan Makenzie (the "son"), Colin being a clone of Malcolm, and Duncan in turn being a clone of Colin. Duncan is sent as an emissary to Earth for the fourth Centennial of the United States. The bulk of the novel follows Duncan on his adventures on Earth. |
| Review | A good novel, but not excellent; the end of the book doesn't tie up enough loose ends, and the book is more about politics than science fiction. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I felt sort of cheated. I'll still recommend it. There's a wonderful scene where Duncan's grandmother presents him with a set of pentominoes made of Titanite (a crystal native to Titan) and a ten-by-six box into which to fit the pieces (see the Wikipedia article for solutions). |
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I — TITAN
II — TRANSIT
III — TERRA
IV — TITAN
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| Full title | Infidel: My Life [permalink] |
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| Original title | Mijn Vrijheid |
| Language | English |
| Author | Ayaan Hirsi Ali (author) |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Categories | Autobiography and religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| Original publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4165-2624-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 353 |
| Synopsis | The first part of the book is all about Ayaan's upbringing in Somalia (and her later emigrations elsewhere), while the latter part is about her career in the Netherlands and beyond. |
| Review | Ayaan describes her life in such vivid detail that it's impossible not to be drawn in by her writing. I found the first part of the book, if not boring, then at least not gripping, but by the latter part of the book, I was totally absorbed. She writes with intelligence and wit, and hers is a most amazing story. Highly recommended reading. |
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Part I: My Childhood
Part II: My Freedom
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| Full title | Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor: 640 Jokes, Anecdotes, and Limericks, Complete with Notes on How to Tell Them [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Categories | Anthology and humor |
| Publication year | 1971 |
| ISBN | 978-0-395-57226-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 420 |
| Synopsis | As advertised on the front cover, the book contains 640 jokes, anecdotes, and limericks, complete with notes on how to tell them. The jokes are sorted into eleven chapters (Anticlimax, Shaggy Dog, Paradox, Put-down, Word Play, Tables Turned, Jewish, Ethnic, Religion, Marriage, and Bawdy), more or less successfully (apparently it's hard to classify jokes). |
| Review | Most of the jokes are pretty good, and some stand out. Here's a little selection:
I highly recommend the book. |
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| Full title | Jerome Bixby's Man from Earth [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Jerome Bixby (author) and Richard Schenkman (writer) |
| Publisher | Samuel French |
| Category | Play |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| ISBN | 978-0-573-66334-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 68 |
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| Full title | Kafka on the Shore [permalink] |
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| Original title | 海辺のカフカ |
| Transliterated title | Umibe no Kafuka |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Haruki Murakami (author) and Philip Gabriel (translator) |
| Publisher | Vintage Books |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4000-7927-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 467 |
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| Full title | Kilden [permalink] |
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| Alternative title | Brevet om fiskeren Markus |
| Translated title | The Source; or, The Letter Concerning Mark the Fisherman |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Author | Gabriel Scott (author) |
| Publisher | Aschehoug |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| Original publication year | 1918 |
| ISBN | 978-82-03-19498-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 166 |
| Synopsis | Follows the life of a simple fisherman named Mark, interspersed with his thoughts and commentaries. |
| Review | Even though the story is simple, it's very gripping. Gabriel Scott has a very engaging way of writing, and is especially good at describing situations. |
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| Full title | Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Olaf Stapledon (author), Gregory Benford (foreword) and Doris Lessing (afterword) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1999 |
| Original publication year | 1930 |
| ISBN | 978-1-85798-806-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 312 |
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Chapter I: Balkan Europe
Chapter II: Europe's Downfall
Chapter III: America and China
Chapter IV: An Americanized Planet
Chapter V: The Fall of the First Men
Chapter VI: Transition
Chapter VII: The Rise of the Second Men
Chapter VIII: The Martians
Chapter IX: Earth and Mars
Chapter X: The Third Men in the Wilderness
Chapter XI: Man Remakes Himself
Chapter XII: The Last Terrestrials
Chapter XIII: Humanity on Venus
Chapter XIV: Neptune
Chapter XV: The Last Men
Chapter XVI: The Last of Man
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| Full title | Letter to a Christian Nation [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Sam Harris (author) |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 0-307-26577-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 96 |
| Synopsis | This book is a criticism of religion. Specifically, it criticizes the inherently stupid things being done by humans in the name of the particular branch of religion that they happen to have been brought up with (like opposing abortion, stem-cell research, and embracing the idea of martyrdom). It's written as an open letter to a Christian, so it didn't particularly speak to me, but I imagine a Christian might have a mind-opening experience if he read it. |
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| Full title | Livingstone: Oppdageren — Forskeren — Misjonæren [permalink] |
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| Original title | Livingstone, Trail Blazer for God |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Authors | Leslie Morrill (author) and Madge Morrill (author) |
| Category | Biography |
| Publication year | 1972 |
| Original publication year | 1959 |
| ISBN | 82-7007-004-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 224 |
| Synopsis | A biography of David Livingstone, written as part novel, part history. |
| Review | The book gives a good account of the life of Livingstone, from his early years in Scotland to his arrival in Cape Town, South Africa, and his subsequent journey across Africa. However, the book I read is a Norwegian translation of the original, and it's evident that the translator made a poor job of it (never mind the simple spelling errors; if you're bilingual like me and read this book, you'll see that a lot of passages look like direct translations, instead of having been adapted to the language). The most damning part of the translation job is the way "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" is rendered. The accepted translation to Norwegian is "Dr. Livingstone, formoder jeg?". This book renders it "Dr. Livingstone, hvis jeg ikke tar feil?" which means "Dr. Livingstone, if I'm not mistaken?" I might get my hands on the original English version, but until then, the only point on which I can recommend the book is that it's a nice, concise history of the man's life. |
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| Full title | Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Apostolos Doxiadis (author), Christos H. Papadimitriou (author), Alecos Papadatos (illustrator) and Annie Di Donna (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury |
| Categories | Graphic novel and logic |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| ISBN | 978-1-59691-452-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 347 |
| Synopsis | A (very fictionalized) account, in comic form, of the life of Bertrand Russell. The book opens with one of the authors explicitly breaking the fourth wall, talking to the reader, and explaining the purpose of the work. The rest of the book follows an old Russell as he's giving a lecture in 1939, three days after Hitler's invasion of Poland, about his journey from childhood to established mathematician. It's this journey that forms the meat of the book. |
| Review | I really enjoyed this work, but not particularly being a fan of graphic novels, I don't know about the quality. In any event, if you want to learn about the life of Bertrand Russell, the history of logic, and something about the tortured lives of the early logicians (excluding the Greeks, of course), and you don't want to read a text book, this one's for you. And besides, how often do you see a comic book with a bibliography? |
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| Full title | Lord of the Flies [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | William Golding (author), Ian Gregor (supplemental) and Mark Kinkead-Weekes (supplemental) |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| Original publication year | 1954 |
| ISBN | 978-0-571-05686-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 288 |
| Synopsis | A cautionary novel about the consequences of letting children run their own society without adult supervision. A plane crashes on a deserted island, and the batch of school boys are left to fend for themselves. The title is a reference to Beelzebub, which is a Hebrew word meaning "lord of the flies" (it's a Philistine god worshiped at Ekron, and is mentioned in the Bible, in 2 Kings 1:2-3), but it's also a reference to a literal lord of flies, namely a pig's head on a stick (it attracts so many flies, you see, that the children start calling it by that title). The novel chronicles how the children conceive of and develop their society. |
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| Full title | The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Richard Dawkins (author) and Dave McKean (illustrator) |
| Categories | Children's and science |
| Publication year | 2011 |
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| Full title | The Man in the High Castle [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Philip K. Dick (author) |
| Publisher | Vintage Books |
| Categories | Alternate history and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1992 |
| Original publication year | 1962 |
| ISBN | 0-679-74067-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 259 |
| Synopsis | The Axis powers of Japan and Germany win WWII and divide the world among themselves. The story follows a small number of characters in this alternate history. The title comes from a fictitious novel called The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, written by Hawthorne Abendsen. Grasshopper is about an alternate history (from the novel's point of view) where the Allied forces won WWII. Being a heretical notion, Abendsen perpetuates a myth that he lives in a fortified house (castle); hence the title. |
| Review | It was a riveting read, but I was left wondering what the point of the novel was. |
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| Full title | The Martian Chronicles [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Ray Bradbury (author) |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 1950 |
| ISBN | 978-0-380-97383-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 268 |
| Synopsis | A collection of short stories woven together into a coherent whole. The stories concern Mars, and humanity's efforts to colonize it. |
| Review | I really enjoyed all the "chapters" (short stories), but "Usher II" really stood out, being an homage to E. A. Poe. Definitely recommended. |
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| Full title | Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Martin Gardner (author) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Mathematics and puzzle |
| Publication year | 1965 |
| Original publication year | 1959 |
| ISBN | 0-14-02-0713-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 154 |
| Synopsis | Based on articles written for Scientific American, every chapter has an addendum, explaining further points or elaborating new ones, and some chapters have letters from people sent in after the article in question was published. |
| Review | An awesome book with lots of interesting things. Read the chapter titles in the Structures for a preview. |
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| Full title | Microsoft Visual C# 2013 Step by Step [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | John Sharp (author) |
| Publisher | Microsoft Press |
| Categories | Computing, programming and textbook |
| Publication year | 2014 |
| Original publication year | 2013 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7356-8183-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 787 |
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PART I: INTRODUCING MICROSOFT VISUAL C# AND MICROSOFT VISUAL STUDIO 2013
PART II: UNDERSTANDING THE C# OBJECT MODEL
PART III: DEFINING EXTENSIBLE TYPES WITH C#
PART IV: BUILDING PROFESSIONAL WINDOWS 8.1 APPLICATIONS WITH C#
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| Full title | Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Bart D. Ehrman (author) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Categories | History and religion |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-073817-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 242 |
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| Full title | The Missionary Position: Mother Theresa in Theory and Practice [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Christopher Hitchens (author) |
| Publisher | Verso |
| Categories | Biography, politics and religion |
| Publication year | 1995 |
| ISBN | 978-1-85984-054-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 98 |
| Synopsis | This 98-page little book is a very short, critical introduction to the life of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, known popularly as Mother Theresa. |
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| Full title | The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Sam Harris (author) |
| Publisher | Black Swan |
| Categories | Philosophy and science |
| Publication year | 2012 |
| Original publication year | 2010 |
| ISBN | 978-0-552-77638-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 380 |
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| Full title | More Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Martin Gardner (author) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Mathematics and puzzle |
| Publication year | 1963 |
| Original publication year | 1961 |
| ISBN | 0-14-02-0748-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 186 |
| Synopsis | This book is written in the same vein as Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions. |
| Review | I truly loved this book. My favorite chapters are The Five Platonic Solids, Mazes, and Eleusis: The Induction Game. |
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| Full title | Mortality [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Christopher Hitchens (author), Graydon Carter (foreword) and Carol Blue (afterword) |
| Publisher | Twelve |
| Categories | Anthology, autobiography, essay and memoir |
| Publication year | 2012 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4555-2347-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 104 |
| Synopsis | Mortality is a very short collection of essays that Hitchens wrote for Vanity Fair about his diagnosis of and living with oesophageal cancer. There are forays into other topics, but the essays mainly concern his living with cancer and all that that implies.
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| Review | It's a very short book, but the essays are interesting. If you're familiar with Hitchens' output, then you know what to expect. |
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| Full title | Nattmennesket [permalink] |
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| Translated title | The Night Person |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Author | André Bjerke (author) |
| Publisher | Aschehoug |
| Categories | Crime and novel |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| Original publication year | 1941 |
| ISBN | 978-82-03-19479-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 181 |
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| Full title | Nightfall [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Isaac Asimov (author) and Robert Silverberg (co-author) |
| Publisher | Pan Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1991 |
| Original publication year | 1990 |
| ISBN | 0-330-32096-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 352 |
| Synopsis | Follows the planet Kalgash, a planet with perpetual daylight due to having six suns, through a devastating astronomical event that only occurs every 2049 years (termed a Year of Godliness by the book's religious fanatics, the Apostles of Flame). The Apostles of Flame propagate the idea that on a precise day (Theptar the 19th, as it happens), there will be total Darkness, everyone will go mad, and the Stars will shoot fires from the skies, all as a vengeance from the gods for the wicked and sinful ways of the planet's inhabitants. A band of scientists, initially opposed to the Apostles' ideas, eventually realize, through new evidence (archaeological and astronomical), that some of what the Apostles propagate is true. Unfortunately, the population at large believes neither the Apostles nor the scientists. |
| Review | Nightfall was originally a short story and people generally prefer the short story version because the book just draws it out. I will have to read the short story before I can draw a proper verdict, but I'll tentatively say, "read this book." |
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| Full title | Odd and the Frost Giants [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Neil Gaiman (author) |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury |
| Categories | Fantasy and novel |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 2008 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7475-9811-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 127 |
| Synopsis | A pretty short book about a boy's adventures in Asgard (land of the Gods in Norse mythology). |
| Review | The story is short, but thoroughly enjoyable. There's not much more to say since there's so little content. |
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| Full title | The Old Man and the Sea [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Ernest Hemingway (author) |
| Publisher | Arrow Books |
| Categories | Adventure and novel |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| Original publication year | 1952 |
| ISBN | 978-0-09-990840-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 99 |
| Synopsis | The story of an old man setting out to sea, and his struggle when he catches the biggest fish of his life. |
| Review | This is a pretty short book, and a pleasant read it is. It's about an old fisherman in Havana, Santiago, whose luck has run out (he hasn't caught a fish in several months). He has a young apprentice who is then forbidden by his parents to fish with Santiago, because of his unluckiness. The old man sets off in his skiff alone, far out in the sea, and catches a marlin, the biggest fish he's ever caught. The fish is tenacious, and the fight with him lasts for two days. If you want to know whether or not the old man succeeds, read the book. I definitely recommend it. |
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| Full title | The Planiverse: Computer Contact With a Two-Dimensional World [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | A. K. Dewdney (author) |
| Publisher | Copernicus |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 2001 |
| Original publication year | 1984 |
| ISBN | 0-387-98916-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 246 |
| Synopsis | A group of computer programmers working under a professor discovers that the 2D simulation program they've developed, 2Dworld, is somehow connected with an actual two-dimensional world inhabited by intelligent creatures. They establish contact with Yendred, and through him, they learn a lot about his world. |
| Review | This book is a sort of unofficial sequel to Abbott's famous Flatland, and it's one hell of a riveting read. I'm having a hard time making up my mind as to which of the unofficial sequels (Ian Stewart's Flatterland and Dionys Burger's Sphereland) are the superior; they're all simply really, really good. |
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| Full title | Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Daniel Klein and Thomas Cathcart |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Humor and philosophy |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-311387-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 215 |
| Synopsis | The book is divided into ten chapters, each dealing with a different area of philosophy. The chapters explain concepts concerning each area, interspersed with banter and jokes. |
| Review | As many people have observed, a session of jokes can often illuminate a subject more than hours of discussion can, and this book is an example of that. The book is essentially a string of jokes with banter to connect them and explain the concepts introduced in the jokes. The explanations themselves are light-hearted and full of puns. An example of a joke illustrating the difference between what philosophers call essential and accidental attributes:
And another on skepticism and the scientific method (or inductive reasoning, if you will):
In the section on the philosophy of religion are also jokes, of course, and I found this Jewish one pretty funny:
And a final one, on the relativity of time:
Go read it if you've got time to kill. |
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| Full title | The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Non-Believer [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Christopher Hitchens (foreword) |
| Publisher | Da Capo Press |
| Categories | Anthology, philosophy and religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| Pages | 499 |
| Synopsis | A huge collection of writings by atheists about religion, faith, non-religion, reason, science, and logic, with biographical information on each author. Some of them are pretty dated, but they're interesting nonetheless. |
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| Full title | QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Richard Feynman (author), Leonard Mautner (foreword) and Ralph Leighton (preface) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Physics and science |
| Publication year | 1990 |
| Original publication year | 1985 |
| ISBN | 978-0-140-12505-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 158 |
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| Full title | Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Wiseman (author) |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Categories | Psychology and science |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-0-330-44811-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 299 |
| Synopsis | Quirkology is a word coined by the author, and is the study of the more quirky side of human activity. The book draws a number of conclusions, such as that women van drivers are more likely to take more than ten items through the express line at supermarkets, that words containing the letter K are funny, and that women's personal ads would garner more replies if written by a man (the opposite is not true). Richard Wiseman has spent twenty years studying these matters, but the book also briefly mentions other seminal studies in psychology (such as Milgram's obedience study and studies concerning memory and the manipulation thereof). |
| Review | I can thoroughly recommend the book, although as the title suggests, it's mostly about quirky little things about human behavior. The book wasn't all that interesting, but it's definitely entertaining. |
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| Full title | The Reason-Driven Life: What Am I Here on Earth For? [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Robert M. Price (author) and Julia Sweeney (foreword) |
| Publisher | Prometheus Books |
| Categories | Bible, philosophy, religion and skepticism |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-1-59102-476-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 363 |
| Synopsis | The Reason-Driven Life is written as a response and critique of Rick Warren's similarly-titled book, The Purpose-Driven Life. It's structured in much the same way as Warren's book, with 40 chapters meant to be read over 40 days. At the end of each chapter is a Point to Ponder, a Quote to Remember, and a Question to Consider. It's written mainly for Christians who have actually read Warren's book, which I'm not and which I haven't. |
| Review | It's a somewhat interesting read in that Price is a Bible scholar and really knows his stuff, however the book is meant for someone with a different mentality than my own. So I had to imagine I was a fundamentalist Christian for most of the book. The tone of the book is very respectful, though forceful and to-the-point (all this to say that it's a very personal and honest book). I imagine a wavering intelligent (fundamentalist) Christian would really enjoy it, and maybe even be deconverted by it. Go for it if you're curious, but if you're like me (skeptical and non-religious by nature) you can safely skip it! There are other, better, Price books. |
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| Full title | The Relativity of Wrong: Essays on the Solar System and Beyond [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Categories | Anthology, astronomy, physics and science |
| Publication year | 1988 |
| Pages | 225 |
| Synopsis | Explains atoms and isotopes, planets and satellites, novas and supernovas. It also contains a title essay, which is available online. In it, he explains that there is a continuum from right to wrong, and that it's possible to be righter and wronger. For instance, if you think the Earth is flat you are wronger than if you think the Earth is a sphere. You're still wrong, because the Earth is more like an oblate spheroid, but even that is wrong. And so on. |
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| Full title | Revolt on Alpha C [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Robert Silverberg (author) and William Meyerriecks (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Scholastic Book |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1959 |
| Original publication year | 1955 |
| ISBN | 0-590-05435-X [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 118 |
| Synopsis | Larry Stark, a Space Patrol Academy cadet on board the Carden, is completing his post-graduate space cruise (required to become an officer), a trip to Alpha Centauri's colonized fourth planet. Unknown to him and his crew, the planet is under revolt, and Stark is required to make some hard choices about where his loyalties lie. |
| Review | It was a very pleasant read; the book is definitely a page-turner, but the ending is rather sudden. I'd like to read more of what happens after the end. A quote:
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| Full title | River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Richard Dawkins (author) and Lalla Ward (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Basic Books |
| Categories | Biology and science |
| Publication year | 1995 |
| ISBN | 978-0-465-06990-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 161 |
| Synopsis | This is only partly a book about evolution. In the last chapter (The Replication Bomb) Dawkins speculates on ten thresholds that life goes through on its way to interstellar emigration. (The analogy is to a supernova. Just as a star can go supernova, a planet might explode with life.) The book also goes through some very neat experiments on bees and the evolution of a bee dance that codes for location of food. |
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| Full title | Robot Dreams [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Isaac Asimov (author) and Ralph McQuarrie (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| Original publication year | 1986 |
| ISBN | 0-441-01183-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 333 |
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| Full title | Robot Visions [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Isaac Asimov (author) and Ralph McQuarrie (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Roc Books |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 1991 |
| Original publication year | 1990 |
| ISBN | 0-451-45064-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 482 |
| Synopsis | This is an anthology of a few stories that are (perhaps paradoxically) not found in The Complete Robot, and a few essays about robots and computers in general. |
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Stories
Essays
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| Full title | Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould (author) |
| Publisher | Vintage Books |
| Categories | Religion and science |
| Publication year | 2002 |
| Original publication year | 1999 |
| ISBN | 978-0-099-28452-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 241 |
| Synopsis | This is the book in which Gould lays out in full detail his concept of NOMA, Non-Overlapping Magisteria, the idea that science and religion are masters over different (and mutually incommunicable) realms. It's an attempt to reconcile the recent intellectual hostilities between scientists and people of faith by appealing to NOMA, saying that there doesn't have to be a conflict. |
| Review | I'm not sure if this book is winning me over to Gould's way of thinking, but it's extremely well written, interesting, and full of siren arguments and pretty poetry. I can definitely recommend it if you're interested in the history of the conflict between science and religion. |
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| Full title | The Satanic Bible [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Anton Szandor LaVey (author) and Peter H. Gilmore (introduction) |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 1969 |
| ISBN | 0-380-01539-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 272 |
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| Full title | The Satanic Rituals: Companion to The Satanic Bible [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Anton Szandor LaVey (author) |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Category | Religion |
| Publication year | 1972 |
| ISBN | 0-380-01392-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 220 |
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| Full title | The Selfish Gene [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Dawkins (author) |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Categories | Biology and science |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 1976 |
| ISBN | 978-0-19-929115-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 360 |
| Synopsis | A pretty comprehensive guide to evolution, and the second book that introduced the gene-centric view of evolution (namely, that genes use bodies — survival machines — to pass themselves on, rather than organisms using genes to pass their traits on). The main goal of the book is to explain altruistic behavior and to dispel the myth that just because genes are selfish, we must (or should) be selfish, and I think it succeeds. The book also introduced the concept of memes (supposed to rhyme with genes), which are units of culture (like a catchy tune or a piece of trivia or a certain way of walking) that are capable of being copied from mind to mind. |
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| Full title | Sherlock Holmes: Short Stories [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur Conan Doyle (author) |
| Publisher | Chancellor Press |
| Categories | Anthology, crime and short stories |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 1985 |
| ISBN | 978-07537-0912-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 992 |
| Synopsis | A collection of all of the Sherlock Holmes short stories in one neat volume. |
| Review | What struck me while reading the short stories is how ingenious Sherlock Holmes is. It's a very fun exercise to try to second-guess what Holmes' solution to each case turns out to be. |
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
His Last Bow
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
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| Full title | A Short History of Nearly Everything [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Bill Bryson (author) and Neil Gower (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Black Swan |
| Category | Science |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| Original publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 978-0-552-15174-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 687 |
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I: Lost in the Cosmos
II: The Size of the Earth
III: A New Age Dawns
IV: Dangerous Planet
V: Life Itself
VI: The Road to Us
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| Full title | The Songs of Distant Earth [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1998 |
| Original publication year | 1986 |
| ISBN | 0-586-06623-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 238 |
| Synopsis | The Earth is swallowed in the explosion of the Sun in the year 3620, and the novel begins with the landing of the starship Magellan on the now-colonized planet of Thalassa, a world covered almost entirely in ocean except for three closely linked islands. They need to repair their ship for their upcoming journey to their real destination, a planet called Sagan 2, which, with their millions of colonists in cryo-sleep, they hope to colonize. Almost the entirety of the novel takes place on Thalassa. |
| Review | A very beautiful novel full of memorable scenes. (The lifting of the kilometer-wide hexagonal ice blocks for the ship's shield comes to mind.) The pacing is good, the characters are well-developed, and the writing is excellent (but then again, this is a Clarke novel). |
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I THALASSA
II MAGELLAN
III SOUTH ISLAND
IV KRAKAN
V THE BOUNTY SYNDROME
VI THE FORESTS OF THE SEA
VII AS THE SPARKS FLY UPWARD
VIII THE SONGS OF DISTANT EARTH
IX SAGAN 2
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| Full title | Sphereland: A Fantasy About Curved Spaces and an Expanding Universe [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Dionys Burger (author) and Cornelie J. Rheinboldt (translator) |
| Publisher | Thomas Y. Crowell Company |
| Categories | Mathematics and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1968 |
| Original publication year | 1965 |
| Pages | 205 |
| Synopsis | Somewhat of a sequel to Flatland, Sphereland continues in the same vein, explaining three dimensions to two-dimensional creatures. The pace and mode of writing is pretty similar to the original, and I very much liked that. The novel things that Sphereland does is two-dimensional space exploration and explaining a curved line to a one-dimensional being (and thus setting up the explanation for why two-dimensional beings would have problems understanding a plane curved into a sphere, and by extension how three-dimensional beings would have trouble understanding how to curve a sphere around a hyper-sphere). |
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A Look at FLATLAND A Fantasy About the Fourth Dimension by A. Square
SPHERELAND A Fantasy About Curved Spaces and and Expanding Universe by A. Hexagon
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| Full title | Sputnik Sweetheart [permalink] |
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| Original title | スプートニクの恋人 |
| Transliterated title | Supūtoniku no Koibito |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Haruki Murakami (author) and Philip Gabriel (translator) |
| Publisher | Wings Books |
| Category | Novel |
| Publication year | 2002 |
| Original publication year | 1999 |
| ISBN | 978-0-099-44847-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 229 |
| Synopsis | The story follows an unnamed narrator (simply called K.), a timid schoolteacher who is madly (and unrequitedly) in love with Sumire, an aspiring writer whose life tends to be topsy-turvy until she falls in love with a Korean woman, Miu, who is 17 years her senior. Miu is in the wine business, and as Miu gives Sumire a job in her company, they end up spending a lot of time together. |
| Review | This book is an enigma to me. I have to admit, I don't really understand the point of it, but nevertheless it made for very interesting reading. The pacing is good, the characters are well-developed, and the dialog is excellent. If you want an enjoyable "Huh?"-experience, I can heartily recommend it. |
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| Full title | Starship Troopers [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein (author) |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1987 |
| Original publication year | 1959 |
| ISBN | 0-441-78358-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 263 |
| Synopsis | A classic military SF book. An alien arachnid race launches a meteor upon unsuspecting Earth which crushes Buenos Aires, plunging the two races into war. |
| Review | There's a lot of monolog from the protagonist's teacher in History and Moral Philosophy, Jean V. Dubois. For me, this is really the meat of the book. The rest is character development and furtherance of the story. There is a movie based on the novel with the same name, and it follows the novel really closely. The only things missing from it are the jump-suits the troopers wear and the so-called neo-dogs, dogs with their intelligence amped to approximately human retardedness level that are used for reconnaissance. |
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| Full title | Stranger in a Strange Land [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Robert A. Heinlein (author) |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1987 |
| Original publication year | 1961 |
| ISBN | 0-441-79034-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 438 |
| Synopsis | A man born of human parents but raised on Mars arrives on Earth and goes on to learn as much about it as possible. He learns about religion and eventually founds his own church (which turns out to be more of a school than a church) where he teaches Martian so that Martian concepts can be readily communicated and understood; things like levitation, teleportation, and telepathy are available so long as you learn the language. The title is a reference to the Bible. From the KJV, Exodus 2:22:
This book is also the book from which the term 'grok' comes. See the Jargon file entry on grok. |
| Review | I think the portrayal of Michael (the man from Mars) as he learns more and more about Earth is very well-written and his progression is reflected in his speech pretty well. |
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| Full title | Tilslørt. Avslørt: Et oppgjør med norsk naivisme [permalink] |
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| Translated title | Veiled. Revealed: A Settlement with Norwegian Naiveté |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Authors | Hege Storhaug (author) and Solveig Lid Ball (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Kagge Forlag |
| Categories | Politics and religion |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-82-489-0740-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 178 |
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| Full title | Time Gate [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Gregory Benford (author), Pat Murphy (author), Poul Anderson (author), Robert Sheckley (author) and Robert Silverberg (author) |
| Publisher | Baen Publishing Enterprises |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1989 |
| ISBN | 0-671-69850-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 277 |
| Synopsis | It's the future, and simulating near-perfect replicas of people in software is routine. At first it's used for entertainment, simulating historical figures from the past, but it isn't long before things get interesting... Each chapter is written by a different author, and deals with two famous persons from the past: Enter a Soldier. Later: Enter Another is about Francisco Pizarro and Socrates, The Resurrection Machine about Cicero and Bakunin, Statesmen about Friedrich Hohenzollern and Machiavelli, The Rose and the Scalpel about Joan of Arc and Voltaire (who, without spoiling too much, have a Great Debate), and finally How I Spent My Summer Vacation is about Queen Victoria and some unknown girl (to say more would spoil). Almost all of the book is about the interactions between the historical figured themselves, and the interplay between them and their creators. |
| Review | A pretty interesting read. It's not every day you get to see Socrates trick one of the Spanish Conquistadors into one of his famous dialogues! The idea of the book is interesting, but I think the book would be even better if it were written by a single author. In fact, its multiple authorship detracts from the quality, I feel, but it's nevertheless worth a read. |
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| Full title | To Open the Sky [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Robert Silverberg (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Publication year | 1967 |
| Pages | 222 |
| Synopsis | The story, despite taking up a meager two hundred pages, is pretty epic, spanning almost a century, and follows a small cast of long-lived characters. Earth has colonized Venus and Mars, and two religious factions, The Brotherhood of the Immanent Radiance and its offshoot Transcendent Harmony both have a piece of the puzzle that would allow man to reach the stars. In reality, the religious orders are merely fronts for scientific research (to say much more would spoil). Their icons and litanies and prayers are entirely scientific, and merely take on the clothing of a religious order. The book opens with The Electromagnetic Litany, which I can't help but quote in its entirety:
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| Full title | The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's Greatest Human [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Ian Spector (author) |
| Publisher | Gotham Books |
| Category | Humor |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-1-592-40344-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 161 |
| Synopsis | A compilation of the funniest Chuck Norris facts, with illustrations. |
| Review | A good read if you're just looking for something to pass your time. |
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| Full title | The Tyrannosaurus Prescription: And 100 Other Essays [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Prometheus Books |
| Categories | Anthology, astronomy and science |
| Publication year | 1989 |
| ISBN | 0-87957-540-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 323 |
| Synopsis | A collection of 101 essays divided into seven sections: The Future, Space, Science, SciQuest, "Foreword by Isaac Asimov", Science Fiction, and Personal. |
| Review | Almost all Asimov essays are excellent and when you pick up an anthology of them you're almost bound not to be disappointed, and this book is no exception except for the section "Foreword by Isaac Asimov", which is simply a collection of forewords to various books. This isn't too bad in itself (in fact, they are all rather well-written), but I, at least, when reading positive forewords and blurbs and reviews, positively want to get the book being foreworded/blurbed/reviewed. Other than that section, I can thoroughly recommend the book. (For a taste of the book, read What Is the Universe?) In the introduction Asimov says that the title of the eponymous essay (The Tyrannosaurus Prescription) is whimsical, but I disagree. It is actually a prescription for an ill, and it's not at all whimsical. Read the essay if you want to find out why I think so. |
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THE FUTURE
SPACE
SCIENCE
SCIQUEST
"FOREWORD BY ISAAC ASIMOV"
SCIENCE FICTION
PERSONAL
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| Full title | Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Richard Dawkins (author) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Astronomy, biology and science |
| Publication year | 1999 |
| Original publication year | 1998 |
| ISBN | 0-14-026408-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 336 |
| Synopsis | This book is a celebration of science, and an explanation of its beauty. Dawkins discusses the probability of your birth (it turns out to be very low), the notion that knowing things about the universe diminishes its beauty (like Feynman before him), sound waves, DNA fingerprinting, astrology (always witty to condemn), genes, brains, and, finally, memes. |
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| Full title | View From a Height [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Categories | Anthology, biology, chemistry, physics and science |
| Publication year | 1975 |
| Original publication year | 1963 |
| ISBN | 0-380-00356-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 224 |
| Synopsis | This is an essay collection broken into four parts: Biology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy. As the subtitle says, it's a brilliant overview of the exciting realms of science. The title invokes the image of viewing science from above, to get an overview of it, and in the introduction Asimov likens science before 1800 to a well-managed orchard. After 1800, it's overgrown and even though there's still an underlying order to it, each wanderer through the orchard only gets to see a small part of it.
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| Full title | We'll Always Have Paris [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Ray Bradbury (author) |
| Publisher | Voyager |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| ISBN | 978-0-00-730364-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 210 |
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| Full title | What Is the Name of This Book?: The Riddle of Dracula and Other Logical Puzzles [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Raymond M. Smullyan (author) |
| Publisher | Dover Publications |
| Categories | Logic and puzzle |
| Publication year | 2011 |
| Original publication year | 1978 |
| ISBN | 978-0486-48198-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 241 |
| Synopsis | A book of puzzles, a lot of the A-always-lies, B-always-tells-the-truth variety. Each section introduces the topic under discussion with a story, with small vignettes strewn between the puzzles themselves to give context. The last chapter is a more free-flowing story-telling chapter, with a complete explanation of Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem. |
| Review | There's not all that much to say about this book. I found it an interesting read, and it's fun to try the puzzles out on friends. Go buy it if you like these kinds of books. |
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Part One: Logical Recreations
Part Two: Portia's Caskets and Other Mysteries
Part Three: Weird Tales
Part Four: Logic Is a Many-Splendored Thing
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| Full title | What We Believe But Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Authors | John Brockman (editor) and Ian McEwan (foreword) |
| Publisher | Pocket Books |
| Categories | Anthology and essay |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4165-2261-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 266 |
| Synopsis | This book is a collection of very small essays by a bunch of leading scientists, philosophers, writers, and intellectuals on the title question. The topics range from artificial intelligence to consciousness to epistemology (and a lot in between). |
| Review | This was an immensely satisfying read. You get a lot of perspective just reading the speculations of these people. I highly recommend this book! |
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| Full title | Why Evolution is True [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Jerry Coyne (author) |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Categories | Biology and science |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 2009 |
| ISBN | 978-0-19-923085-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 309 |
| Synopsis | This book lays out in a systematic way the evidence for evolution. The first chapter, What Is Evolution?, lays out the basics tenets of the theory. The second, Written in the Rocks, are about (as you might guess) fossils and how they give good evidence of evolution (which wasn't available in Darwin's time). The third chapter goes into vestigial organs and functions, and the various bad designs we find in nature. The rest of the book lays out evidence from the geobiography of life, sexual selection, and so on. The book is a response to the (on-going) anti-evolution tendency, and directly answers criticisms from that wing, in a detailed and interesting way. |
| Review | One of the better books on evolution I've read. If you're looking for an explanation of exactly why scientists believe the theory of evolution best explains the adaptations in life (as opposed to intelligent design), then this book is for you. |
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| Full title | Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Michael Shermer (author) and Stephen Jay Gould (foreword) |
| Publisher | W. H. Freeman and Company |
| Categories | Philosophy, science and skepticism |
| Publication year | 1997 |
| ISBN | 0-7167-3387-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 306 |
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Part 1: Science and Skepticism
Part 2: Pseudoscience and Superstition
Part 3: Evolution and Creationism
Part 4: History and Pseudohistory
Part 5: Hope Springs Eternal
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| Full title | The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Author | Maxine Hong Kingston (author) |
| Publisher | Vintage Books |
| Category | Memoir |
| Publication year | 1989 |
| Original publication year | 1975 |
| ISBN | 978-0-679-72188-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 209 |
| Synopsis | This book is part-novel and part-autobiography, interspersed with Chinese folktales. It describes life for a Chinese-American woman living in California. |
| Review | The style of the narration (with fantastic tales woven seamlessly into the main autobiography) was at first a little confusing, but one soon gets used to it, and then the book becomes a delight to read. I can definitely recommend it, though I prefer the more traditional form of autobiographical writing. |
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| Full title | Words from the Myths [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Isaac Asimov (author) and William Barss (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Signet Books |
| Category | Language |
| Publication year | 1969 |
| Original publication year | 1961 |
| ISBN | 978-0451166869 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 134 |
| Synopsis | The book explains Greek mythology and its relationship to the English language in the form of its words ('chaos', 'cosmos', 'gigantic', 'atlas', 'ocean', 'Europe', 'cereal', 'phobia', 'demon', 'martial', 'vulcano', 'jovial', 'music', 'hygiene', 'siren', 'hubris', 'nemesis'). Asimov describes a lot of Greek mythology in-depth, but primarily for the purpose of explaining the origins and meanings of those words (and many others). He covers the titans, the Olympians, monsters, heroes and the siege of Troy. |
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| Full title | Words in Genesis [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Isaac Asimov (author) and William Barss (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Categories | History, religion and science |
| Publication year | 1962 |
| Pages | 233 |
| Synopsis | Asimov explains, as the book is titled, the words in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. |
| Review | This is actually more than simply a list and explanation of the words used in Genesis. It goes into great detail into important verses in Genesis, explaining the history behind the verses as well as the etymologies of the words used (Asimov was Jewish by descent and spoke Yiddish, which helps). There are even appendices with maps of the relevant areas of the time, and genealogies of antediluvian (pre-Flood) and postdiluvian patriarchs. |
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| Full title | Words of Science and the History behind Them [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Categories | Encyclopedia and science |
| Publication year | 1959 |
| Pages | 266 |
| Synopsis | An alphabetical listing of common words in science, with one page of explanation for each of them. |
| Review | Asimov explains a whole bunch of common scientific words, from abacus to zodiac, in great detail and with particular care to their etymologies (it should be no surprise that many of today's English words are derived from either Latin or Greek, and this book makes that point more than clear). The book is in a sense an encyclopedia, and it can be read straight through or used as, well, an encyclopedia. |
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| Full title | Zima Blue and Other Stories [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Alastair Reynolds (author) and Paul J. McAuley (introduction) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| ISBN | 978-0-575-08455-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 455 |
| Synopsis | A short story (and novella-length) anthology from Alastair Reynolds. The Real Story is about a journalist's quest to unravel the real story behind the first Mars landing. Beyond the Aquila Rift is about what it means to be lost. Really lost. Enola is about a little nomad girl's affinity for a machine (and mutatis mutandis for the machine), and what that implies. Signal to Noise and Cardiff Afterlife are two connected stories about what happens when you make contact with parallel universes. The next three stories, Hideaway, Minla's Flowers, and Merlin's Gun, are the longest in the anthology and form a chronological trilogy (despite being written out of order). The first one is about a so-called swallowship (huge spaceship) on the run from an alien enemy known as the Huskers. The other two are a continuation of the first, but I won't say anything about them except that all three concern the same protagonist, Merlin, and his quest for his Gun. Angels of Ashes is a weird piece about religion and statistics (ehr, more or less) Spirey and the Queen is about a faux war over a planetary accretion disk. Understanding Space and Time is about one man's quest to, well, understand space and time. Digital to Analogue is a conspiracy/thriller tale set on Earth in the nineties, and is the least science fictional (not to mention the least space operatic) one in the collection, and is about a memetic virus spreading through the club scene. Everlasting is about the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum physics. Specifically, one man's (pretty weird) take on it. And finally, the eponymous Zima Blue is about a pretty eccentric and long-lived artist's quest to connect with his roots. |
| Review | I enjoyed almost all the stories in this collection, and before I praise this collection any further, I have to get it out of the way: Angels of Ashes and Digital to Analogue fell entirely flat for me! The ones that stood out, however, more than made up for it. In particular I immensely enjoyed the Merlin trilogy (Hideaway, Minla's Flowers, and Merlin's Gun). They are truly epic in scale, and brilliantly captures the sense of the lone ranger on a quest. Understanding Space and Time, another wonderful story, is also epic, but in its own way. I hope I'm not spoiling anything by saying that it reminded me of Asimov's The Last Question, both in form and content. (Read them both and you'll understand.) The last two items, Everlasting and Zima Blue, also had me hooked, the former for its weird speculations (and the experimental testing of said speculation...), the latter for its musings on time and memory, and the sympathy you get for the protagonist, the eccentric artist Zima. All in all, if you enjoy pointed SF vignettes or space opera novellas, go buy this book! |
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| Full title | The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume Two [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | George Mann (editor), Brenda Cooper, Chris Roberson, Dan Abnett, David Louis Edelman, Dominic Green, Eric Brown, Karl Schroeder, Kay Kenyon, Mary Robinette Kowal, Michael Moorcock, Neal Asher, Paul Di Filippo, Peter Watts and Robert Reed |
| Publisher | Solaris Books |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| ISBN | 978-1-84416-542-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 413 |
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| Full title | Letters to a Young Contrarian [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Christopher Hitchens (author) |
| Publisher | Basic Books |
| Categories | Journalism and philosophy |
| Series | Art of Mentoring (1/14) |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| Original publication year | 2001 |
| ISBN | 978-0-465-03033-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 141 |
| Synopsis | A collection of imaginary letters to a young contrarian. The beginning of each letter imagines that the reader has sent a reply to the previous one, and the current one is a reply to that, so that reading the book seems to be a conversation. The book deals with how to be a public intellectual with contrary views, and how to deal with all the hardships that come with that obligation. |
| Review | It's a very short book, and once started, it's very hard to put it down. Hitchens is a very eloquent writer, besides being knowledgeable and engaged. In the book he deals a little bit with his public confrontations (his criticism of Mother Theresa and Henry Kissinger, for instance), really as examples for pontificating on the life of a contrarian. There's a little part of the book that I liked where he explores various words for a contrarian, such as rebel, revolutionary, and an "angry young man". |
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| Full title | Letters to a Young Mathematician [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Ian Stewart (author) |
| Publisher | Basic Books |
| Categories | Mathematics and science |
| Series | Art of Mentoring (11/14) |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| Original publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-0-465-08232-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 203 |
| Synopsis | Letters to a Young Mathematician is written as an update on G. H. Hardy's classic A Mathematician's Apology, but the book is not an exercise in apologetics.
It follows an imaginary girl, Meg, from her school years through her ensuing career, and each chapter is a letter to her at crucial steps in her career. Some parts are musings on math (pure vs applied) while others are specific career tips (solitary work vs collaboration). The book is virtually devoid of any actual math, so I think it's safe for mathophobes. In fact, for this very reason, it might even help to partially cure the phobia of those unfortunately inflicted. |
| Review | I really liked the light-hearted way the book is written. Perhaps someone who is planning on embarking on a mathematical career would enjoy it even more. |
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| Full title | Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Eoin Colfer (author) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Fantasy and novel |
| Series | Artemis Fowl (2/7) |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 2002 |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-132132-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 288 |
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| Full title | Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Eoin Colfer (author) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Fantasy and novel |
| Series | Artemis Fowl (3/7) |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-132131-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 329 |
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| Full title | Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Eoin Colfer (author) |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
| Categories | Fantasy and novel |
| Series | Artemis Fowl (4/7) |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 0-141-31549-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 343 |
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| Full title | Biomega 1 [permalink] |
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| Original title | バイオメガ |
| Transliterated title | Baiomega |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Andrew McKeon (editor), Mike Montesa (editor), John Werry (translator) and Tsutomu Nihei (creator) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Categories | Cyberpunk, horror, manga and science fiction |
| Series | Biomega (1/6) |
| Publication year | 2011 |
| Original publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-3184-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 218 |
| Synopsis | First book in the series. Introduces Zoichi Kanoe, an agent of Tao Heavy Industries, and Fuyu Kanoe, his AI sidekick. |
| Review | I immensely enjoyed this. High-paced action, check. Good story, check. SF background, check. |
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| Full title | Biomega 2 [permalink] |
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| Original title | バイオメガ |
| Transliterated title | Baiomega |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Andrew McKeon (editor), Mike Montesa (editor), John Werry (translator) and Tsutomu Nihei (creator) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Categories | Cyberpunk, horror, manga and science fiction |
| Series | Biomega (2/6) |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-3185-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 216 |
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| Full title | Biomega 3 [permalink] |
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| Original title | バイオメガ |
| Transliterated title | Baiomega |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Andrew McKeon (editor), Mike Montesa (editor), John Werry (translator) and Tsutomu Nihei (creator) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Categories | Cyberpunk, horror, manga and science fiction |
| Series | Biomega (3/6) |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-3186-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 210 |
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| Full title | Biomega 4 [permalink] |
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| Original title | バイオメガ |
| Transliterated title | Baiomega |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Andrew McKeon (editor), Mike Montesa (editor), John Werry (translator) and Tsutomu Nihei (creator) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Categories | Cyberpunk, horror, manga and science fiction |
| Series | Biomega (4/6) |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-3187-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 188 |
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| Full title | Biomega 5 [permalink] |
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| Original title | バイオメガ |
| Transliterated title | Baiomega |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Andrew McKeon (editor), Mike Montesa (editor), John Werry (translator) and Tsutomu Nihei (creator) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Categories | Cyberpunk, horror, manga and science fiction |
| Series | Biomega (5/6) |
| Publication year | 2011 |
| Original publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-3188-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 196 |
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| Full title | Biomega 6 [permalink] |
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| Original title | バイオメガ |
| Transliterated title | Baiomega |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Andrew McKeon (editor), Mike Montesa (editor), John Werry (translator) and Tsutomu Nihei (creator) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Categories | Cyberpunk, horror, manga and science fiction |
| Series | Biomega (6/6) |
| Publication year | 2011 |
| Original publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-3277-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 197 |
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| Full title | Black Lagoon 001 [permalink] |
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| Original title | ブラック・ラグーン |
| Transliterated title | Burakku Ragūn |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Mike Montesa (editor), Dan Kanemitsu (translator), Rei Hiroe (creator) and John Hunt (letterer) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Category | Manga |
| Series | Black Lagoon (1/9) |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-1382-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 208 |
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| Full title | Black Lagoon 002 [permalink] |
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| Original title | ブラック・ラグーン |
| Transliterated title | Burakku Ragūn |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Mike Montesa (editor), Dan Kanemitsu (translator), Rei Hiroe (creator) and John Hunt (letterer) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Category | Manga |
| Series | Black Lagoon (2/9) |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-1891-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 202 |
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| Full title | Black Lagoon 003 [permalink] |
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| Original title | ブラック・ラグーン |
| Transliterated title | Burakku Ragūn |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Mike Montesa (editor), Dan Kanemitsu (translator), Rei Hiroe (creator) and John Hunt (letterer) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Category | Manga |
| Series | Black Lagoon (3/9) |
| Publication year | 2008 |
| Original publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-1892-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 195 |
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| Full title | Consider Phlebas [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Iain M. Banks (author) |
| Publisher | Orbit Books |
| Categories | Novel, science fiction and space opera |
| Series | Culture (1/11) |
| Publication year | 1987 |
| ISBN | 1-85723-138-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 471 |
| Synopsis | A hunted Mind is forced to escape to Schar's World and both the Culture and the Idirans (fierce tripedal warriors) want it. The book's protagonist, Bora Horza Gobuchul, is a Changer who works for the Idirans to retrieve the Mind, and the book follows his adventure. |
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| Full title | The Player of Games [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Iain M. Banks (author) |
| Publisher | Orbit Books |
| Categories | Novel, science fiction and space opera |
| Series | Culture (2/11) |
| Publication year | 1988 |
| ISBN | 1-85723-146-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 309 |
| Synopsis | Jernau Morat Gurgeh, a Culture citizen, has played games all his life, and is an expert at it. Being bored with success, he accepts to travel to the Empire of Azad to play one the most complex games known to the galaxy, coincidentally named Azad. The game is played on multi-layered checker boards with dice and cards, and features several different pieces, all with different strengths, weaknesses, and attributes. It is said that the moves one is able to execute in the game are so subtle that an experienced player would be able to figure out a lot about his opponent by watching him play (such as his outlook on life and his political stance). The game is so central to the society of Azad that the winner of the game is automatically the next Emperor. |
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| Full title | Use of Weapons [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Iain M. Banks (author) |
| Publisher | Orbit Books |
| Categories | Novel, science fiction and space opera |
| Series | Culture (3/11) |
| Publication year | 1990 |
| ISBN | 1-85723-135-X [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 368 |
| Synopsis | The Culture hires a mercenary, Cheradenine Zakalwe, to do their dirty work, while Zakalwe tries to piece together a terrible secret in his past. |
| Review | Banks fans apparently see this novel as the epitome of Culture novels. I hated it, save for the weird party in which people deliberately mutilate themselves and the curious method by which Zakalwe's body is being rebuilt after he's been beheaded. Why do I hate it? The structure. The story follows two threads, one going forward in time and another going backward; the chapters alternate between these two. I wasn't too confused by this, but I was annoyed. Perhaps I should re-read it. If you plan on reading the Culture novels, don't start with this one. |
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| Full title | The State of the Art [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Iain M. Banks (author) |
| Publisher | Orbit Books |
| Categories | Anthology, science fiction and short stories |
| Series | Culture (4/11) |
| Publication year | 1991 |
| ISBN | 1-85723-030-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 216 |
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| Full title | Inversions [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Iain M. Banks (author) |
| Publisher | Orbit Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Culture (6/11) |
| Publication year | 1998 |
| ISBN | 1-85723-763-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 406 |
| Synopsis | The chapters alternate between telling the story of Vosill, a king's physician, and DeWar, a Protector's bodyguard. Vosill and DeWar reside on opposite sides of a mountain where they tend to their masters (in their own ways), and although they never actually meet, there is subtle evidence that they know each other (but to say more would spoil). |
| Review | This isn't a Culture novel per se. It isn't even a science fiction novel, per se. The entire story is set in something resembling medieval Earth, with kings, generals, horse riding, and concubines. That having been said, there are subtle hints at the novel's SFness, but to pick them up you need to read the previous Culture novels. Overall, I really enjoyed it, despite its non-SFness. I think Vosill may have saved it. |
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| Full title | Look to Windward [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Iain M. Banks (author) |
| Publisher | Pocket Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Culture (7/11) |
| Publication year | 2002 |
| Original publication year | 2000 |
| ISBN | 0-7434-2192-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 483 |
| Synopsis | During one of the most violent skirmishes in the Culture-Idiran War, a binary star system is blown up, and as the light from that event reaches the Orbital Masaq', the renowned composer Mahrai Ziller (an alien, a Chelgrian) is slated to conduct his latest masterpiece in coincidence with it. Meanwhile, another Chelgrian, the Major Quilan, is tasked with a mission (and a cover-story for that mission) whose objectives are unknown to him but which are gradually revealed (both to him and the reader). |
| Review | As this is a Culture novel I could almost have recommended it without reading it, and the verdict after having read it is still the same. This is an excellent story, one of political intrigue, love lost, secret missions, espionage, and huge sceneries. I particularly enjoyed the light-hearted chapters about Uagen Zlepe and 974 Praf, the former a human-turned-simian scholar (and an all-around twitchy and funny character), the latter a pterodactyl-like sentient creature and Zlepe's companion (also pretty incompetent and funny because of that). Their extremely serendipitous doings and fallings (don't ask) did much to lighten the otherwise heavy mood. |
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| Full title | The Stars, Like Dust [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Orb Publications |
| Category | Science fiction |
| Series | Empire (1/3) |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| Original publication year | 1951 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7653-1915-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 235 |
| Synopsis | Biron Farrill wakes up in his dorm room in the University of Earth to discover a radiation bomb. He then has to quickly escape and figure out who the assassin is. The title is taken from a (fictional, to my best knowledge) poem:
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| Full title | Pebble in the Sky [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Grafton |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Empire (3/3) |
| Publication year | 1987 |
| Original publication year | 1950 |
| Pages | 226 |
| Review | Asimov almost never disappoints, and this book is no exception. It's a well-paced and thrilling novel with interesting characters. In particular (as is common with Asimov's novels), the dialog is excellent and abundant. |
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| Full title | Ender's Game [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Orson Scott Card (author) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Ender's Game (1/6) |
| Publication year | 1994 |
| Original publication year | 1985 |
| ISBN | 0-812-55070-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 324 |
| Synopsis | Three brilliant children, Ender, Peter, and Valentine Wiggin, all rise to excellence and help the human race in their own ways. The book primarily follows Ender as he advances to become a great military leader and strategist. It is set against the backdrop of a major inter-stellar war with the Buggers, a hive-mind entity of insect-like beings, who, humanity believes, wish to wipe them all out. The military leaders in the International Fleet (I.F.) monitor children and pick out exceedingly bright ones to go to Battle School to become commanders, and Ender is picked out after he successfully defends himself against a school bully, determined to beat him down so badly that neither he (nor his entourage) would dare mess with him again. He accepts and is shipped to the Battle School, where he rises through the ranks quickly and starts winning more and more mock battles. |
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| Full title | Speaker for the Dead [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Orson Scott Card (author) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Ender's Game (2/6) |
| Publication year | 1994 |
| Original publication year | 1986 |
| ISBN | 0-812-55075-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 382 |
| Synopsis | The book follows a family on the Catholic colony planet Lusitania and centers around the xenologers who find an intelligent porcine alien race there which does some (to them) bizarre things. In a manner that I won't spoil, Ender is entwined into the story. |
| Review | I like Speaker for the dead better than Ender's Game. There are more major characters, which is good, but also many more minor characters, which I didn't like. But the porcine alien race, which the inhabitants of Lusitania call pequeninos, were interesting enough to save the book for me. I also think Ender is an excellent speaker, and he's a likeable character. |
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| Full title | Xenocide [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Orson Scott Card (author) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Ender's Game (3/6) |
| Publication year | 1992 |
| Original publication year | 1991 |
| ISBN | 0-812-50925-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 592 |
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| Full title | Children of the Mind [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Orson Scott Card (author) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Ender's Game (4/6) |
| Publication year | 1997 |
| Original publication year | 1996 |
| ISBN | 0-812-52239-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 370 |
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| Full title | Ender's Shadow [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Orson Scott Card (author) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Ender's Shadow (1/4) |
| Publication year | 2000 |
| Original publication year | 1999 |
| ISBN | 0-812-57571-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 469 |
| Synopsis | Ender's Shadow follows Bean, a friend of Ender's in Battle School, as he grows up on the harsh streets of Rotterdam, gets accepted by the I.F., and is taken to Battle School. From there it's basically another view of Card's first book in the Ender series, Ender's Game. |
| Review | Card is very good at drama and dialog, and I think this book showcases that very well. I also like the characters he develops very much. A good read. |
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| Full title | Shadow of the Hegemon [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Author | Orson Scott Card (author) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Ender's Shadow (2/4) |
| Publication year | 2001 |
| Original publication year | 2000 |
| ISBN | 0-812-56595-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 451 |
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| Full title | Shadow Puppets [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Author | Orson Scott Card (author) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Ender's Shadow (3/4) |
| Publication year | 2003 |
| Original publication year | 2002 |
| ISBN | 0-765-34005-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 375 |
| Synopsis | The novel follows Bean, Petra, Achilles, Peter, and Suriyawong and the political developments on Earth after the Formics are defeated. |
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| Full title | Shadow of the Giant [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Author | Orson Scott Card (author) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Ender's Shadow (4/4) |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| Original publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 0-812-57139-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 371 |
| Synopsis | The story of Ender's jeesh (comrades) is further elaborated, taking place entirely on Earth. |
| Review | I hesitate a little to classify this as science fiction, because it feels more like a political thriller. It was a good read, but in the end I was left disappointed. I'm no Card fan, but if you are, perhaps you'll get something more out of it. |
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| Full title | Frankenstein [permalink] |
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| Alternative title | or, The Modern Prometheus |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Mary Shelley (author) and Margaret Brantley (supplemental) |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Categories | Gothic and novel |
| Series | Enriched Classic |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| Original publication year | 1818 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7434-8758-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 323 |
| Synopsis | An explorer of the North Pole picks up a weary and battered Victor Frankenstein. Victor is on the run from his creation, who is trying to kill him. The captain of the ship listens to Frankenstein's story (which makes up the meat of the novel). |
| Review | What struck me about the novel was how mild-mannered, eloquent, and initially innocent Frankenstein's so-called monster is. The monster spends a good chunk of the novel in the forest, trying to make a living, and he meets a family living in a forest cabin. This novel is a classic, and extremely well-written. I heartily recommend it. If you're not versed in Victorian English I recommend that you get a version with notes to explain language usage. Otherwise, a lot of things won't make sense. |
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Frankenstein
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| Full title | Flood [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Author | Stephen Baxter (author) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Flood/Ark (1/2) |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| Original publication year | 2008 |
| ISBN | 978-0-575-08482-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 538 |
| Synopsis | The book's first two chapters are over briefly, describing how a group of four hostages (Lily Brooke, Piers Michaelmas, Helen Gray, and Gary Boyle) are rescued by AxysCorp after five years of imprisonment in various cellars in Barcelona by a Christian extremist group called the Fathers of the Elect (who don't play a prominent part in the story). Lily, Piers, Helen, and Gary vow to stay in touch after their long imprisonment, and the rest of the book is about a world-wide flood which seems to be rising inexorably, and without an end in sight. The chapters alternate between the characters and events haphazardly. Interspersed between some of the chapters are small vignettes, excerpts from Kristie's journal, describing how the situation looks on the ground in various parts of the world as it floods. At some points in the book there are edited world maps showing the effects of a sea-level rise of a certain magnitude above the 2010 datum. |
| Review | This is a long novel, with lots of space to really flesh out the characters and paint a picture of how a world-wide flood in the not-too-distant future would look. And what a picture Baxter paints! This really is more of a thriller/drama than science fiction, although the SF is there in the form of speculations about what causes the sea too rise so drastically, but it's really the human drama that is the main driving force of the novel. Go read it! |
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| Full title | Ark [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Stephen Baxter (author) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Flood/Ark (2/2) |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 2009 |
| ISBN | 978-0-575-09413-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 537 |
| Synopsis | Ark picks up where Flood left off. Unfortunately, the cover art sort of gives the ending of Flood away (although it's not that much of a spoiler, really). It follows the exploits of the survivors of the world wide flood, both on Earth and on the spaceship. |
| Review | Like the previous book, this one is excellent. It's thick, and uses the space well to flesh out the characters and describe the drama. If you liked Flood, then you'll like the sequel. The ending was particularly satisfying. |
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| Full title | Second Foundation [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Foundation (5/7) |
| Publication year | 1991 |
| Original publication year | 1953 |
| ISBN | 0-553-29336-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 279 |
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PART I SEARCH BY THE MULE
PART II SEARCH BY THE FOUNDATION
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| Full title | Foundation's Edge [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Foundation (6/7) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| Original publication year | 1982 |
| ISBN | 0-553-29338-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 449 |
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| Full title | Foundation and Earth [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Foundation (7/7) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| Original publication year | 1986 |
| ISBN | 0-553-58757-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 499 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! 01 [permalink] |
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| Original title | フルメタル·パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Shouji Gatou (author) and Retsu Tateo (illustrator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Manga and mecha |
| Series | Full Metal Panic (1/8) |
| Publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0001-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 162 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! 02 [permalink] |
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| Original title | フルメタル·パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Shouji Gatou (author) and Retsu Tateo (illustrator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Manga and mecha |
| Series | Full Metal Panic (2/8) |
| Publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0006-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 194 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! 03 [permalink] |
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| Original title | フルメタル·パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Shouji Gatou (author) and Retsu Tateo (illustrator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Manga and mecha |
| Series | Full Metal Panic (3/8) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0007-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 166 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! 04 [permalink] |
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| Original title | フルメタル·パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Shouji Gatou (author) and Retsu Tateo (illustrator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Manga and mecha |
| Series | Full Metal Panic (4/8) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0039-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 156 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! 05 [permalink] |
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| Original title | フルメタル·パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Shouji Gatou (author) and Retsu Tateo (illustrator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Manga and mecha |
| Series | Full Metal Panic (5/8) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0051-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 160 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! 06 [permalink] |
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| Original title | フルメタル·パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Shouji Gatou (author) and Retsu Tateo (illustrator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Manga and mecha |
| Series | Full Metal Panic (6/8) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0198-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 162 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! 07 [permalink] |
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| Original title | フルメタル·パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Shouji Gatou (author) and Retsu Tateo (illustrator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Manga and mecha |
| Series | Full Metal Panic (7/8) |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0200-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 162 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! 08 [permalink] |
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| Original title | フルメタル·パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Shouji Gatou (author) and Retsu Tateo (illustrator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Manga and mecha |
| Series | Full Metal Panic (8/8) |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0322-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 162 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! Overload! 1 [permalink] |
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| Original title | いきなり! フルメタル・パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Ikinari! Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Tomohiro Nagai (illustrator) and Shouji Gatou (creator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Humor and manga |
| Series | Full Metal Panic Overload (1/2) |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0315-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 186 |
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| Full title | Full Metal Panic! Overload! 2 [permalink] |
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| Original title | いきなり! フルメタル・パニック! |
| Transliterated title | Ikinari! Furumetaru Panikku! |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Tomohiro Nagai (illustrator) and Shouji Gatou (creator) |
| Publisher | ADV |
| Categories | Humor and manga |
| Series | Full Metal Panic Overload (2/2) |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 1-4139-0326-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 176 |
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| Full title | H. P. Lovecraft Omnibus Vol. 2: Dagon and Other Macabre Tales [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | H. P. Lovecraft (author) and August Derleth (introduction) |
| Publisher | Voyager |
| Categories | Anthology, horror and short stories |
| Series | H. P. Lovecraft Omnibus (2/3) |
| Publication year | 2000 |
| Original publication year | 1965 |
| ISBN | 978-0-586-06324-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 512 |
| Synopsis | This collection contains a bunch of short stories, as well as a very interesting essay by August Derleth called Supernatural Horror in Literature. Also in there are some stories under the heading Early Tales and four really small stories under Fragments, stories not really completed (and therefore not that interesting). Most of the stories are first-person accounts of some horrible fate befalling the protagonist (such as Dagon, The Temple, and Imprisoned with the Pharaohs) while a few are third-person narratives over a span of time (like The Doom that came to Sarnath, The Cats of Ulthar, and The Quest of Iranon). |
| Review | This collection represents my first foray into Lovecraft's literature (except for The Call of Cthulhu, which I read ages ago). As I'm not really well read in horror literature, I don't know how it stacks up against other authors, but I know I like it! Lovecraft has a very peculiar way of writing, and virtually every story manages to draw you in and keep your attention throughout. Also, most of the stories have a twist at the end that's not always easy to predict, which makes them all the more enjoyable. This collection, as opposed to the first and third in this series, is a little bit special in that there are a lot of stories, so if you don't have that much time to read, this book is excellent. The stories are short and almost all are engaging and very fun to read. |
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Early Tales
Fragments
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| Full title | Planetes 1 [permalink] |
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| Original title | プラネテス |
| Transliterated title | Puranetesu |
| Language | English |
| Author | Makoto Yukimura (author) |
| Publisher | Tokyopop |
| Categories | Manga and science fiction |
| Series | Planetes (1/5) |
| Publication year | 2003 |
| ISBN | 1-59182-262-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 238 |
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| Full title | Planetes 2 [permalink] |
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| Original title | プラネテス |
| Transliterated title | Puranetesu |
| Language | English |
| Author | Makoto Yukimura (author) |
| Publisher | Tokyopop |
| Categories | Manga and science fiction |
| Series | Planetes (2/5) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 1-59182-509-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 238 |
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| Full title | Planetes 3 [permalink] |
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| Original title | プラネテス |
| Transliterated title | Puranetesu |
| Language | English |
| Author | Makoto Yukimura (author) |
| Publisher | Tokyopop |
| Categories | Manga and science fiction |
| Series | Planetes (3/5) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 1-59182-510-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 227 |
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| Full title | Planetes 4/1 [permalink] |
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| Original title | プラネテス |
| Transliterated title | Puranetesu |
| Language | English |
| Author | Makoto Yukimura (author) |
| Publisher | Tokyopop |
| Categories | Manga and science fiction |
| Series | Planetes (4/5) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 1-59532-208-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 197 |
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| Full title | Planetes 4/2 [permalink] |
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| Original title | プラネテス |
| Transliterated title | Puranetesu |
| Language | English |
| Author | Makoto Yukimura (author) |
| Publisher | Tokyopop |
| Categories | Manga and science fiction |
| Series | Planetes (5/5) |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 1-59532-467-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 195 |
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| Full title | Rendezvous with Rama [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Rama (1/4) |
| Publication year | 1990 |
| Original publication year | 1972 |
| ISBN | 0-553-28789-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 243 |
| Synopsis | A large cylindrical object is spinning so fast through the solar system that humans want to take a look at it before it whizzes past them. They dispatch the Endeavour to intersect its orbit and quickly discover that the cylinder is a spaceship of some kind designed by an intelligent species. Once they make it aboard Rama, the crew meticulously describe the interior of it and you should eventually get a really good feel for its construction. The novel details the crew's discoveries aboard Rama. |
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| Full title | Rama II [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Arthur C. Clarke (author) and Gentry Lee (co-author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Rama (2/4) |
| Publication year | 1990 |
| Original publication year | 1989 |
| ISBN | 0-553-28658-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 466 |
| Synopsis | Seventy years after the first book, a second Rama spacecraft enters our solar system, and an expedition is again sent to rendezvous with it. They board it as easily as the first crew boarded the first spacecraft, but they soon discover a few differences between the two craft. |
| Review | This book (and the subsequent ones) contains a lot character development, as they are written primarily by Lee. In this one, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but it takes off eventually, really. |
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| Full title | The Garden of Rama [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Arthur C. Clarke (author) and Gentry Lee (co-author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Rama (3/4) |
| Publication year | 1992 |
| Original publication year | 1991 |
| ISBN | 0-553-29817-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 518 |
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| Full title | Rama Revealed: The Ultimate Encounter [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Arthur C. Clarke (author) and Gentry Lee (co-author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Rama (4/4) |
| Publication year | 1995 |
| Original publication year | 1994 |
| ISBN | 0-553-56947-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 602 |
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| Full title | Ringworld [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Larry Niven (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Ringworld (1/4) |
| Publication year | 1970 |
| ISBN | 0-345-33392-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 342 |
| Synopsis | A group of four individuals (two humans and two aliens) end up together on an expedition to a ringworld, a huge structure around a sun, akin to a slender rubber band around a speck of sand. The book chronicles their adventures on it. |
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| Full title | The Caves of Steel [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Robot (1/4) |
| Publication year | 1991 |
| Original publication year | 1954 |
| ISBN | 0-553-29340-0 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 270 |
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| Full title | The Robots of Dawn [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Isaac Asimov (author) |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Robot (3/4) |
| Publication year | 1994 |
| Original publication year | 1983 |
| ISBN | 0-553-29949-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 435 |
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| Full title | Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Bryan Lee O'Malley (author) |
| Publisher | Oni Press |
| Category | Graphic novel |
| Series | Scott Pilgrim (1/6) |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| ISBN | 978-1-932664-08-9 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
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| Full title | Scott Pilgrim vs. The World [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Bryan Lee O'Malley (author) |
| Publisher | Oni Press |
| Category | Graphic novel |
| Series | Scott Pilgrim (2/6) |
| Publication year | 2005 |
| ISBN | 978-1-932664-12-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
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| Full title | Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Bryan Lee O'Malley (author) |
| Publisher | Oni Press |
| Category | Graphic novel |
| Series | Scott Pilgrim (3/6) |
| Publication year | 2006 |
| ISBN | 978-1-932664-22-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
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| Full title | Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Bryan Lee O'Malley (author) |
| Publisher | Oni Press |
| Category | Graphic novel |
| Series | Scott Pilgrim (4/6) |
| Publication year | 2007 |
| ISBN | 978-1-932664-49-2 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
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| Full title | Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Bryan Lee O'Malley (author) |
| Publisher | Oni Press |
| Category | Graphic novel |
| Series | Scott Pilgrim (5/6) |
| Publication year | 2009 |
| ISBN | 978-1-934964-10-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
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| Full title | Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Bryan Lee O'Malley (author) |
| Publisher | Oni Press |
| Category | Graphic novel |
| Series | Scott Pilgrim (6/6) |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| ISBN | 978-1-934964-38-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
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| Full title | The City and the Stars [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | SF Masterworks |
| Publication year | 2001 |
| Original publication year | 1956 |
| ISBN | 978-1-857-98763-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 255 |
| Synopsis | The story takes place on Earth several billion years in the future. It revolves around the huge city of Diaspar, which has cloistered itself under an artificial roof. No one can leave the city, and no one even wants to. People are no longer born naturally, but emerge from the Hall of Creation. They live for centuries, and when they decide it's time to "die" they simply choose which memories they wish to keep, and are then stored in the Memory Banks, to return centuries later from the Hall of Creation. These Memory Banks also house the patterns for everything in the city (buildings, furniture, what have you) so that when one wishes something (a chair, for instance), one simply asks for it and it will materialize. As a by-product, nothing ever wears down; the city (and its inhabitants) are practically immortal. Into this mix emerges Alvin, a Unique (meaning it's his first life). These aren't unheard of, but they're very rare. The story is really about Alvin and his adventures to unravel the secrets of the city's (and Earth's) mysterious and myth-laden past. |
| Review | I thorougly enjoyed it. If I have one complaint it's that I wish we learned more about the Invaders, but this doesn't detract from the story (for reasons which I won't go into due to the spoiler potential). |
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| Full title | A Fall of Moondust [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | SF Masterworks |
| Publication year | 2002 |
| Original publication year | 1961 |
| ISBN | 978-0-575-07317-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 224 |
| Synopsis | It's the near future, and the Moon is a place for tourism. The novel opens with Pat Harris, skipper of the boat Selene, enjoying a cruise with his two-dozen-or-so passengers across the (fictional) Sea of Thirst. At the time of the novel's writing in 1960 it was reasonably assumed that the so-called "seas" of the Moon consisted of very fine dust. Selene, therefore, was imagined as a ship capable of crossing these seas. However, like an ant falling into an antlion's trap (the analogy is one of the character's), Selene sinks into the Sea of Thirst, and the rest of the novel is concerned with, alternately, the people aboard, the search party above, and the various other interested parties (TV crews, overseers, and what have you). |
| Review | An immensely gripping novel! To call it science fiction is technically correct, but the SF serves merely as the backdrop for the human drama. And what a drama it is! Go pick this up! |
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| Full title | Odd John: A Story Between Jest and Earnest [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Olaf Stapledon (author) and Adam Roberts (introduction) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | SF Masterworks |
| Publication year | 2012 |
| Original publication year | 1935 |
| ISBN | 978-0-575-07224-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 208 |
| Synopsis | John Wainwright is born several months late, a seemingly normal child who, it's quickly discovered, is anything but. His mental powers are off the charts, and he learns at a tremendous rate. As a consequence of all this accelerated mentation, his physical body's maturation is severely hampered such that by age 16 he looks like a ten-year-old. As John learns quickly, he very soon becomes bored with whatever object is holding his attention. For instance, he soon tires of language:
The novel follows him throughout his life, narrated by a free-lance journalist friend of his. The book proposes to be published long after the events contained in it. In fact, the end of the novel is flatly stated in the first chapter (but not to worry, I won't spoil it; I'll let Stapledon do that). Much of the novel is spent ruminating on what it means to be superhuman (they call themselves supernormals and Homo superior). From our narrator's perspective, many of Odd John's actions seem flat out amoral, and even though John can't properly explain the situation to the narrator (for the simple reason that John's logic is superior to his), one nevertheless is left with a feeling that maybe John is right. |
| Review | I immensely enjoyed this novel. It's really interesting to follow John through his life, and Stapledon does a wonderful job of conveying the various parts of John's life to us, through a sympathetic and competent narrator. I have only one complaint: The latter parts of the book are about John's voyages around the world to find fellow-supernormals to populate and keep his Colony running. I wish this part comprised more of the book, as I think those chapters were the most interesting. Nevertheless, I can thoroughly recommend it! |
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| Full title | Sirius: A Fantasy of Love and Discord [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Authors | Olaf Stapledon (author) and Graham Sleight (introduction) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | SF Masterworks |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 1944 |
| ISBN | 978-0-575-09942-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Online version | Link |
| Pages | 194 |
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| Full title | Ubik [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Philip K. Dick (author) |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | SF Masterworks |
| Publication year | 2004 |
| Original publication year | 1969 |
| ISBN | 978-1-8579-8853-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 224 |
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| Full title | 2001: A Space Odyssey [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Roc Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Space Odyssey (1/4) |
| Publication year | 2000 |
| Original publication year | 1968 |
| ISBN | 0-451-45799-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 297 |
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| Full title | 2010: Odyssey Two [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Space Odyssey (2/4) |
| Publication year | 1984 |
| Original publication year | 1982 |
| ISBN | 0-345-30306-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 335 |
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| Full title | 2061: Odyssey Three [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Space Odyssey (3/4) |
| Publication year | 1989 |
| Original publication year | 1988 |
| ISBN | 0-345-35879-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 271 |
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| Full title | 3001: The Final Odyssey [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke (author) |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Categories | Novel and science fiction |
| Series | Space Odyssey (4/4) |
| Publication year | 1998 |
| Original publication year | 1997 |
| ISBN | 0-345-42349-6 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 274 |
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| Full title | The Shining [permalink] |
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| Language | English |
| Author | Stephen King (author) |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Categories | Horror and novel |
| Series | The Shining (1/2) |
| Publication year | 2011 |
| Original publication year | 1977 |
| ISBN | 978-1-444-7207-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 497 |
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Part One: Prefatory Matters
Part Two: Closing Day
Part Three: The Wasps' Nest
Part Four: Snowbound
Part Five: Matters of Life and Death
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| Full title | Uzumaki Volume 1: Spiral into Horror [permalink] |
|---|---|
| Original title | うずまき |
| Translated title | Spiral |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Gary Leach (editor), Yuji Oniki (translator), Junji Ito (creator) and Susan Daigle-Leach (letterer) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Categories | Horror and manga |
| Series | Uzumaki (1/3) |
| Publication year | 2011 |
| Original publication year | 1998 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-1389-8 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 202 |
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| Full title | Uzumaki Volume 2: Spiral into Horror [permalink] |
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| Original title | うずまき |
| Translated title | Spiral |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Gary Leach (editor), Yuji Oniki (translator), Junji Ito (creator) and Susan Daigle-Leach (letterer) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Categories | Horror and manga |
| Series | Uzumaki (2/3) |
| Publication year | 2010 |
| Original publication year | 1999 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-1390-4 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 197 |
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| Full title | Uzumaki Volume 3: Spiral into Horror [permalink] |
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| Original title | うずまき |
| Translated title | Spiral |
| Language | English |
| Authors | Gary Leach (editor), Yuji Oniki (translator), Junji Ito (creator) and Susan Daigle-Leach (letterer) |
| Publisher | VIZ Media |
| Categories | Horror and manga |
| Series | Uzumaki (3/3) |
| Publication year | 2012 |
| Original publication year | 1998 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4215-1391-1 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
| Pages | 253 |
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