Book Reviews

ETL: Contentrated Power in a Global Economy

Posted October 29th, 2008 by Jeffrey

in

I subscribe to the netcast (iTunes link) of the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar, provided by Stanford University.

The Revolution; A Manifesto

Posted September 20th, 2008 by Jeffrey

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Book Reviews

[Review in process].

Weaknesses:
he perpetuates the use of "liberal" and "conservative" labels. This is polarizing, and over simplifying [see blog entry].
many readers miss the meaning of "manifesto"
despite knowing the weaknesses of the party system, he still maintains loyalty to the Republican party and the party system
.
.

Strengths:
clear, strong narrative
lots of historical examples, some personal
variety of sources for quotes
solid, simple arguments with minimal jargon
bold but respectful statements of his position and opinions of others' actions and theories

The Revolution: A Manifesto

author: Ron Paul
rating:

asin: 0446537519
binding: Hardcover
list price: $21.00 USD
amazon price: $14.28 USD

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Seeker

Posted July 30th, 2007 by Jeffrey

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Book Reviews

Seeker
author: Jack McDevitt
asin: 0441013295

Thousands of years after an entire colony mysteriously disappears, antiquities dealer Alex Benedict comes into possession of a cup that seems to be from the Seeker, one of the colony's ships. Investigating the provenance of the cup, Alex and his assistant Chase follow a deadly trail to the Seeker-strangely adrift in a system barren of habitable worlds. But their discovery raises more questions than it answers, drawing Alex and Chase into the very heart of danger.

Synopsis: Thousands of years after an entire colony mysteriously disappears, antiquities dealer Alex Benedict comes into possession of a cup that seems to be from the Seeker, one of the colony's ships. Investigating the provenance of the cup, Alex and his assistant Chase follow a deadly trail to the Seeker-strangely adrift in a system barren of habitable worlds. But their discovery raises more questions than it answers, drawing Alex and Chase into the very heart of danger.

Review: This novel is why I first picked up some books by Jack two weeks ago. I surfed over a page which mentioned Jack having one the Nebula award for the best SiFi novel of 2006, for this novel, Seeker. When I went to the campus library to check it out, it wasn't on the shelves—despite the catalog's listing it as available! (This always makes me wonder if some library employee has it on their desk for light reading. I used to work in the library; I know it can happen.) Instead, I grabbed two other books, "Omega" and "Eternity Road" that looked interesting. I finally found "Seeker" at the public library. Overall, I like this novel the best of the three I've read so far—enough to go read some more of his novels. "Seeker" is really a mystery novel at heart, with supporting SciFi principles. This is how most good SciFi should work, with the technology and alternative realities supporting a great plot, not just existing for their own sake. The plot had enough twists to keep me wondering what would happen next—though I did guess the ending pretty closely. In the end, I would recommend the book. It was free of sensuality (see my page about Jack McDevitt the author) and I enjoyed it to the end.