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In 1980 Heinlein published a novel called The Number of the Beast. It involved parallel universes, The World as Fiction, and dragged in Lazarus Long, as Heinlein seemed to do in most of his later books. While parts of it were fun, it was also confusing and disjointed in my opinion. I will read any Heinlein for the writing alone, so I am a fan (in fact, I was for a time the webmaster for The Heinlein Society), but I can see that some of his stuff is better than others. So when I heard there was an alternate version of this novel, I had to check it out. And The Pursuit of the Pankera keeps the same basic setting and has the same beginning as The Number of the Beast, but I think it is much better. The plot is a lot more cohesive and the novel just flows in way the previous didn't. This is the one I will reread in the future. And as a huge fan of the Lensman universe the part of the book that goes there was quite a treat. For those who don't know, the idea of The World as Fiction is that fictional worlds are real in other universes, so the characters here visit Barsoom, Oz, and the Lensman universe. Tons of fun.

Since I retired I have been indulging in pleasures I didn't have enough time for, and gaming is one of them. I have been a huge fan of the Civilization series, and also have fond memories of Railroad Tycoon Deluxe. But Civilization is the one that has absorbed thousands of hours of my life over the last 3 decades, and it is still my favorite gaming experience. So when I saw this memoir was available I had to get it, and I'm glad I did. Now, to be clear this is only something of interest for a fan like me, but there are a lot of Civilization fans out there. You need only check out the many YouTube channels, web sites, subreddits, etc. devoted to this game to see how popular it is. This memoir simply tells the story of Sid Meier's life in computer games, as the title advertises. I had a good time reading it, and I'm glad I purchased it. If you are also a fan of Civilization in it's many versions I think you will enjoy this work.

Back when I was teaching, one of the courses I taught several times was History of Science, and it is still an interest for me. And so I really liked this book. It tells the story of William Smith, born in England in the late 18th century, and how in his work as a mine surveyor and canal surveyor he started to notice patterns in the arrangement of rocks as holes were dug. Many of these rocks also had fossils, and when the rocks were the same the fossils were the same. And Smith started to see what this meant. His life's work was drawing the geologic map of England. But he had a hard time of it for a period, in part because he was a commoner, and at the time science was considered only suitable for upper class dilettantes. His work was copied by some of these and passed off as their own, and at one point he was tossed into debtor's prison. But in the end he got the recognition he deserved and was the first recipient of the Wollaston Medal, the highest award of the Geological Society of London.

This short novel is one of the classics of Military SF. It was initially published in serialized form, and you can tell because it is very episodic in form. Donal Graeme is the scion of a well-known family on the planet Dorsai, reknowned for its soldiers. He starts the book as a newly graduated cadet, but quickly rises in ability and reputation until at the end he has conquered everything. By an odd coincidence, though the novel was nominated for a Hugo for Best Novel in 1960, it lost out to Starshp Troopers by Robart A. Heinlein, which is the other great classic of Military SF. But the two books are complementary in a way. Dorsai! focuses on the role of the commander, while Starship Troopers focuses on the common soldier. I like Dorsai!, but I would have to say that Starship Troopers is the better novel. But read both of them, they are worth it, particularly if you have an interest in military SF.

I first encountered Mike Duncan from his impressive History of Rome podcast, which I listened to all the way through, and I since been listening to his Revolutions podcast, which is equally good. So when he announced that he was writing a book I knew I would buy it. This is a book about how the Roman Republic became a imperial dictatorship, and it has great relevance in the days of Trump. When the founders of the American experiment in democracy were constructing their system (embodied in the Constitution) they were very aware of the historical precedents of the end of democracy in Greece and Rome, and attempted to build in safeguards against the failure modes shown in those precedents. Trumps attempts to become President for Life are echoes of Sulla (though Sulla did lay down power after accomplishing his aims), but it looks like Trump will not succeed. But the example of Rome also points out the dangers of extreme inequality that happens when the oligarchy pursues its self-interest at the expense of the wider population, and the Social Wars tell a tale of how restricting citizenship disrupts society. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history, or an interest in how countries change their social and political arrangements.