Alastair McKinstry rated Goliath's Curse: 5 stars
Goliath's Curse by Luke Kemp
A vast and unprecedented survey of societal collapse—stretching from the Bronze Age to the age of silicon—that digs through the …
Looking at this for Christmas ...
Reviews and Comments
Climate scientist, Green party, former councillor in Galway, Ireland, Branch chair of IFUT.ie in the University of Galway
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Alastair McKinstry wants to read Discerning Experts by Naomi Oreskes
Alastair McKinstry rated Doppelganger: 5 stars
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
What if you woke up one morning and found you’d acquired another self—a double who was almost you and yet …
Alastair McKinstry finished reading Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
What if you woke up one morning and found you’d acquired another self—a double who …
Well recommended. A biography of a wierd journey and investigation into how people go down the "rabbit hole" of Qanon and the alt-right.
Well recommended. A biography of a wierd journey and investigation into how people go down the "rabbit hole" of Qanon and the alt-right.
Alastair McKinstry rated Less Is More: 4 stars
Less Is More by Jason Hickel
The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now we must face up to …
Alastair McKinstry finished reading Less Is More by Jason Hickel
The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now …
Recommended introduction to "degrowth'. Jason Hickel is one of the primary authors in this field..
Recommended introduction to "degrowth'. Jason Hickel is one of the primary authors in this field..
Alastair McKinstry finished reading Goliath's Curse by Luke Kemp
A vast and unprecedented survey of societal collapse—stretching from the Bronze Age to the age …
Recommended.
Alastair McKinstry commented on How to Read a Tree by Tristan Gooley
Each tree we meet is filled with signs that reveal secrets about the life of …
Reading this a chapter at a time, between walks in the woods :-)
Alastair McKinstry started reading Blueprint for revolution by Srdja Popovic
"In Blueprint for Revolution, Srdja Popovic outlines his philosophy for implementing peaceful world change and …
One to digest slowly as you go along.
Alastair McKinstry commented on Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed
2020 Reprint of the 1922 Edition. "An American journalist and revolutionary writer, John Reed became …
Pretty much the definitive eye-witness account from an outsiders perspective. If you enjoyed this, check out China Meville's history too.
Pretty much the definitive eye-witness account from an outsiders perspective. If you enjoyed this, check out China Meville's history too.
Alastair McKinstry reviewed The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi (The Interdependency, #1)
In the far future, humanity has left Earth to create a glorious empire. Now this …
Wonderful
4 stars
Firstly, to agree with other reviewers the dialogue is excellent, witty, fast-paced. It keeps the story moving and its a strong story. I'm definitely getting the rest of the collection.
But the denouements and twists are beautiful, from the outcome of the mutiny in the prologue to the importance of peer review (!) revealed at the end of part two. Best laid plans falling apart because of different information is great.
The memory room is a nice device, too. As Sherlock had his Watson, Batman his Robin, I can see this century will have AI agents as the counterpart where the protagonist explains important bits of the plot. This needs to be done with care, and is.
But the overall arch is the best. The Empire is collapsing, the Emperox knows and has trusted experts explain the details, the sailors on the starships can see the "Flow" …
Firstly, to agree with other reviewers the dialogue is excellent, witty, fast-paced. It keeps the story moving and its a strong story. I'm definitely getting the rest of the collection.
But the denouements and twists are beautiful, from the outcome of the mutiny in the prologue to the importance of peer review (!) revealed at the end of part two. Best laid plans falling apart because of different information is great.
The memory room is a nice device, too. As Sherlock had his Watson, Batman his Robin, I can see this century will have AI agents as the counterpart where the protagonist explains important bits of the plot. This needs to be done with care, and is.
But the overall arch is the best. The Empire is collapsing, the Emperox knows and has trusted experts explain the details, the sailors on the starships can see the "Flow" collapsing (the plot device that allows interstellar travel), but saving humanity isn't happening because the oligarchs (guilds) don't want to know for the most part, and really don't care about saving humanity. There is a metaphor there somewhere ...
Alastair McKinstry wants to read Blue Machine by Helen Czerski
All of Earth's ocean, from the equator to the poles, is a single engine powered …
Currently reading.
Alastair McKinstry rated Ministry for the Future: 4 stars
Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, Kim Stanley Robinson
Established in 2025, the purpose of the new organization was simple: To advocate for the world's future generations and to …
Alastair McKinstry rated Termination Shock: 4 stars
Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson
Termination Shock takes readers on a thrilling, chilling visit to our not-too-distant future – a world in which the greenhouse …