Lyle
Another excellent entry in the Princeton Field Guide series, this time focusing on the predatory dinosaurs. Much appreciated was the introductory text covering many areas including environments/habitats, evolutionary trends, predator/prey dynamics, and more. A worthy successor to and expansion of the author's 1988 "Predatory Dinosaurs of the World".
I stopped reading when (1) a character believed they were on an alien world because there was no moon in the sky, and other characters didn't point out the flaw in her reasoning, (2) two of the characters suddenly decided to have sex in the nearby forest in the middle of the night and it was blamed on the fact that they were suddenly the equivalent of eighteen years old and their hormones had become super active, and (3) the name of a character suddenly changed to that of another character in the middle of a scene. There were other less problematic things in the writing as well, but the three issues mentioned above were enough to make me stop reading.
The premise was intriguing, and the narrative started well, but when the protagonist began using vulgar language over a very small incident (even though I know the author was trying to show how much she was upset by the underlying situation) I was done. Too bad. There are better ways than that to show emotional distress.
I saw the author on a television program and was intrigued by the premises he espoused; he was a very dynamic and entertaining speaker. So I got this book and was surprised to find that there was nothing really earth-shattering in it but rather a clear, concise, and orderly collection of approaches to self-improvement, with exercises and tools to assist. I think I would have been better served having read this in my 20s, 30s or 40s instead of my late 60s but even so there were some decent tidbits for me at this "late" stage. At the very least, the author showed how enthusiasm and an optimistic approach can be great facilitators in enhancing our understanding and even in bringing joy back into learning.
The author successfully builds upon the universe(s) created in the first book of the series, with a diverse cast of characters, plenty of action, and dashes of philosophy, humor, and AI thrown into the mix. The resolution was both unexpected and wholly satisfying.
An emotional roller-coaster of a story, for sure, but one worth reading if you have any sort of affinity for felines. The author obviously is a keen observer and writes quite well.
If you are looking for a book (or series) that provides a "classic" sense of wonder with well-written prose and interesting characters, you can add this book (along with the previous "World Engines: Destroyer") to your TBR. This is Baxter at the top of his game, IMHO.
While the concept of ambigrams and "reversible" font and art was initially intriguing I found the many examples and details that followed to be a bit overwhelming and mind-numbing, in the end. It all began to feel a bit forced; briefly entertained but not really amazed.
Definitely not for the general public; I was rather disappointed to find out that this book is more suitable for college students than the average non-mathematician. From page one, I found the text to be rather specialized and beyond that commonly in use by the casual reader. The author quite obviously has enthusiasm for the subject matter and provided copious amounts of diagrams and images, but it wasn't enough, sadly.
I needn't have worried that the years since the last of the Chaos Chronicles episodes would have taken their toll. It was like coming home to friends – sure, coming home to far-flung mind-stretching adventures with those friends, along with intriguing and very unique aliens (both friendly and hostile) and seemingly impossible tasks to accomplish and emotional roller coasters thrown in for good measure. But coming home, nonetheless. Kudos, Mr. Carver! I am eagerly awaiting part two of the Out of Time Sequence! (Thankfully, only a few months to wait, not years!)
I found this book to be a good introduction to the world's major religious world views, and it provided a great logical approach to how each differs from the unique claims of Christianity. It also addressed (in a very approachable way) tolerance and respect when interacting with those of different faiths and even those who proclaim no faith. A few times the words used were rather technical and I needed to do a bit of “vocabulary-building” to fully grasp the arguments being put forth, but this did not happen all that often. I felt, after finishing the book, that at least now I have a basic foundation for building further understanding.
When it was a space adventure (pirates, battles, strategy, etc.) it was very good. When it devolved into a sort of odd weirdness, it was less so. I was prepared to enjoy this classic (and I did) but it reminded me it was written some time in the past and our sensibilities have changed a bit since. I don't regret reading it in the least, but I'm not overly eager to read more.
A wonderful guide to the sauropod dinosaur family. Explained clearly numerous paleontological terms that are commonly used, and then used those definitions/terms to clearly define various aspects of the world in which sauropods lived as well as the biology of the beasts themselves. The illustrations by Hallett were a wonderful addition and often helped make the text all the clearer.
Great semi-biographical book re: Chesley Bonestell, the pioneer of modern space art. Quite interesting to read about his ground-breaking approach to “imaginative realism” and to see the resulting images in large format.
While nothing in this collection was “LOL” there were quite a few chuckles and wry smiles resulting from the read. I appreciated the variety of offerings, too, from prose to poetry to cartoons - nicely done.
Reading almost like a combination biography and detective novel, this tale brought out the human side of the titular character, bringing him from farm boy to big city reporter as he explored what it meant to be raised in 1930's America, introducing familiar and unfamiliar fellow characters along the way, and letting us see the man behind the “mask”.
Classic and heart-warming, the further adventures of Mooch and Earl, as drawn and told by a master cartoonist. Even after many years of producing Mutts, McDonnell still keeps things fresh and enjoyable.
A wonderfully eclectic collection of tales, each with a core of warmth and light shown in perfect contrast to the cold and dark of this human sphere. Delightful.
The situation was unique, I will grant that, and did a good job of setting up the premise for what I expect to be the foundation for the Exodus Chronicles books, but the conversations seemed forced and the actions too much like magic given the mundane circumstances. The premise for the “why” of certain things happening seemed too pat, and rang a little false. Also, I didn't quite buy the fact that a large amount of time had already passed for the protagonist to complete the task set before him, given his enhanced abilities, and yet he was still seemingly doomed to failure and working on such a very small scale. I will probably attempt book 1 of the series; perhaps the failures noted above were due to trying to set the stage in a very short story instead of a longer tale.
This little book was quite a fun read – refreshing! Characters and world felt real and interesting; am looking forward to the next in the series.
Great intro and catch-up to the state of VR and AR as of 2017, with some teases about where things are headed. The writing is in an easy-to-follow conversational style, and the author covers a lot of material. Recommended!