Engineer, Jazz Singer, Poet
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Termination Shock takes readers on a thrilling, chilling visit to our not-too-distant future – a world in which the greenhouse …
The surprising insight of this book is how much “murder” is a social construct. This is shown with a Roman state that, with very few exceptions, avoided to get involved in the prosecution of homicides.
Lots of interesting questions (what political ideas did “populares” really stand for) and intriguing details (a tiny number of people went to popular assemblies, and they basically never voted against proposed laws) about the fundamental mechanics underlying the politics of the Roman Republic.
It’s always interesting to see which genre a new Laundry Files novel veers into, and the latest one certainly does not disappoint in that aspect, vividly evoking what seems to be a well researched Regency era.
However, as well executed as the genre was, it’s not one I seem to particularly enjoy.
Autobiography of forensic scientist Sir Sydney Alfred Smith
An autobiography of one of the forensic scientists, told primarily through the most important murder cases he worked on throughout the British Empire. Though the author spares none of the gruesome details (including often photos), and he seems to have the robust self confidence of a court tested expert, his compassion for fellow humans and a remarkable lack of prejudice against people of all ethnicities and walks of life shine through, and the storytelling is first rate.
A fascinating exploration of the rhetoric of "decline" and appeal to a mythical better past that was used and weaponized by politicians in Rome as early as the 2nd century BC, and throughout the next 1500 years.
While other historians have (not without justifications, I think), drawn parallels between the collapse of the Roman Republic into authoritarian government due to institutional deadlock, and the risks facing the US political system, which was consciously modeled on the same institutions, Watts makes the interesting point that Making Rome Great Again was also a perennial promise in Roman politics, typically appealing to a largely invented past.
Some other food for thought was how we think about the historical reputation of emperors — how much is determined on whether their successors and their court historians saw it useful to praise them, or to blame them (the latter often if the new emperor had risen …
A fascinating exploration of the rhetoric of "decline" and appeal to a mythical better past that was used and weaponized by politicians in Rome as early as the 2nd century BC, and throughout the next 1500 years.
While other historians have (not without justifications, I think), drawn parallels between the collapse of the Roman Republic into authoritarian government due to institutional deadlock, and the risks facing the US political system, which was consciously modeled on the same institutions, Watts makes the interesting point that Making Rome Great Again was also a perennial promise in Roman politics, typically appealing to a largely invented past.
Some other food for thought was how we think about the historical reputation of emperors — how much is determined on whether their successors and their court historians saw it useful to praise them, or to blame them (the latter often if the new emperor had risen to power by violent means). As an example, Watts points out that by any objective measure, the rule of e.g. Marcus Aurelius was not a particularly prosperous time for Rome.
John Chu is a “sherpa", a paid guide to online role-playing games like the popular …
A gripping cyberpunk thriller. Reading it, I was struck by how much little of it is actually "science fiction" in the sense of describing technologies that don't exist yet. I'm pretty sure the "bullets" described don't exist, but much of the rest could just be a story of the world as it is right now.
And of course, the "on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog" subplot has been a reality for decades, and is masterfully executed here.
The Clakker: a mechanical man, endowed with great strength and boundless stamina -- but beholden to the wishes of its …
Ray Midge is befuddled when his wife takes off with his car, his money, and her ex-husband. When credit card …
Masters of Atlantis is a cock-eyed journey into an America of misfits and con-men, oddballs, and innocents. Lamar Jimmerson is …
