Reviews and Comments

Great color pictures and in the format of a coffee table book, but too much text for that medium. Said text is fairly dense and requires many trips to the (included) glossary for non-geologists. Maps were small and not terribly useful. Covers the plate tectonics and vulcanism of the early Northwest very well, the most recent glaciation less so. The most recent non-volcanic geologic events (the Lake Missoula floods) are glossed over with a recommendation to read other books. It is not the lack of flood coverage that makes this a pretty dry read, however. 2½ stars.

I was excited about this book, reaching out to the local library to suggest they order one or more copies. It contains great information for the novice on gaming culture and customs. Essentially it writes the unwritten rules, and that is part of where it fell flat for me - I encountered little I didn't already know. This could have perhaps been ameliorated by a few more anecdotes, a bit more humor or even some illustrations. 3.5 stars.

Did not read this back in the day, though I loved Watchmen. This read was inspired by [b:The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture|27276413|The Caped Crusade Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture|Glen Weldon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458692562s/27276413.jpg|47328268], and in that light, the Batman here was in the middle ground between light and dark - sort of a dark grey. This is most notable in his attempts to give the Joker an out.

While I loved the art here and I liked most of the dialog, I wasn't thrilled with the origin story, which was half or more of the book. Was one day enough to push the Joker (and/or Batman) over the edge? This tale doesn't convince. All tolled, I liked it, but it was not Alan Moore's best work.

Basically the story of a Victorian-era scientist who regales his regular dinner companions with a story of his recent adventure, a trip through time.

As James Gleick pointed out in [b:Time Travel: A History|28587950|Time Travel A History|James Gleick|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460910277s/28587950.jpg|48754828], this is basically the first time time this type of story was written - hard to believe now that it is so commonplace. The science (or biology or anthropology) is unlikely, perhaps more a metaphor for society. "Don't become sheep, or you will be eaten up."

I was glad to share this book (first read in my teens) with my teen daughter, and we agreed that this is 4 stars.

Quirky, open to multiple interpretations, but then that's classic P.K.Dick. This novel was more muddled than I expected. The rare animals goes a long way to explaining this post apocalyptic world, but the empathy boxes and Mercerism feel like they were tacked on later. In comparison to the film, this book explains the empathy test (and others) better. By the end, we have unsettled questions on what it means to be human. Overall - cautious recommendation? I may have enjoyed the book more if I wasn't such a fan of the film.

Fairly dry, the introduction was better than the rest of the material. Covers the disputed 1876 election, caused by a electoral differences in Florida and decided by a single partisan member of the supreme court. Another interesting parallel is voters disenfranchised, the vote totals of whole counties thrown out. Focuses a little too much on the candidates backgrounds, doesn't cover the impact of reconstruction and carpetbaggers enough.

A short epilogue compares the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes to what his challenger Samuel Tilden may have done, and was the second most interesting part of this dry story. Rated slightly more than 2 stars - it was better than OK, but not that great.

This book is part science fiction, part attack on Scientology (complete with the movie star smile of a Tom Cruise-like character), and all fun to read. The main character is a strong female role, a single woman working as a bartender at Kennedy Airport in New York. Dialing in to a late night radio program on a whim, she starts a series of events that showcase her own past, her radio enthusiast uncle, aliens and dogs.

This is the first book I have read by Eleanor Lerman, and I will definitely read more. While not overtly sci-fi, the story explores human relationships and religious beliefs, using the atheist "Blue Awareness" cult as the antagonist in many ways. Ironically, this novel won the 2016 Campbell award - John W. Campbell was one of the strongest early supporters of Dianetics. 4½ stars - recommended!

Enormous collection; it feels like I've been reading this for a month. Harlan Ellison put together a collection of stories not published elsewhere, helping to define the New Wave movement of science fiction. Most of what was shocking in the late 60s isn't now, of course, so these stories must stand on their own merits.

I especially enjoyed Gonna Roll the Bones by [a:Fritz Leiber|23001|Fritz Leiber|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1423163995p2/23001.jpg] and Auto-da-Fé by [a:Roger Zelazny|3619|Roger Zelazny|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207671346p2/3619.jpg]. For me, If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister? by [a:Theodore Sturgeon|12531|Theodore Sturgeon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1211292667p2/12531.jpg] fell flat. Overall rating for the collection, a solid 3.5 stars.

Saw James Gleick talk for an hour and a half on this book and topic shortly before diving into it. Covers the philosophy, science, history and pop culture of Time Travel, concluding with an interesting chapter on futurism and a section of "Sources and Further Reading," with 88 stories, 5 anthologies, and 32 novels!

Not quite as good as other books I have read in the past by this author, but still 4 stars.

Fantasy, multiple dimensions, and a main character that would rather read than go on an adventure. The past history of the protagonist felt a bit episodic, and this book reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, or, oh, The Librarians.

This is the start of a series, and it feels like a little too much is thrown in - the plot runs hither and thither with little time to rest. The characters, while not compelling, are interesting enough to keep turning pages. Probably the most interesting to me was Vale, a Sherlock Holmes clone. Several people have tagged this as steampunk - it really isn't - and young adult. The latter designation is close, and this book has no harsh language or steamy scenes.

Will probably revisit this, but like the main character, I think taking a little time to heal makes sense.

Fairly well written and suspenseful, though dialog is used for too much of the explanation. Very good description of the invasion day. Saw the original movie ages ago; don't remember the ending being this abrupt.