Reviews and Comments

Saw the Disney movie well before reading the story, but it must be said the villain has a bumbling Disney-esque style. My daughter enjoyed it well enough; I found myself focused on the lack of technology, even though these aliens are more connected with mental powers.

In the end, the story was plausible (first landing in Hungary, chased out by the Communist take-over and now hunted by elements of the US government ... or perhaps a Communist agent?) and the characters were likeable. The Disney movie reduced the political aspects by giving Lucas Deranian a millionaire boss instead. Sequel movies and a TV series pilot followed; the book also has a sequel.

Briefly, the growth of Anton continues in fascinating ways. Touching on previous books, we also find out some of the nature of the Twilight itself. Some of the page-long observations of Russia are interesting in an additional context, thanks to to the author's outspoken political views, but they still work well in the story.

Mechanically, this is a three-part story, same as previous books. Technically, Anton's timeline is catching up with the modern day, and his random-play disc player has moved to MP3. The supporting cast are lovingly described, and some have definitely grown and changed since the previous books.

This book is easily 4½ stars, and probably closer to 5. Hoping to go back and reread the whole series soon, starting with a decent review of the first book. Also interested in ranking the books within the series - some storylines are better than others.

This history spans the gamut from Lovelace/Babbage to Page/Brin, emphasizing the collaborative aspect of creation. Each chapter is a set of histories, and as such feels incomplete - but the astute seeker could find more information by hitting the notes and bibliography. The intro and conclusion make the case that only by collaboration does sustained innovation occur, and in that this falls short - few counterexamples are explored. Those drawbacks noted, this is obviously a labor of love for Walter Isaacson. I found the writing style captivating and the research ultra-complete, and I look forward to comparing this to a pending re-read of Steven Levy's [b:Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution|56829|Hackers Heroes of the Computer Revolution|Steven Levy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406160795s/56829.jpg|1407224]. It took me a month to read this only because of interruptions.

Opens well enough, and a few daring escapes later, our hero ends up drafted. After that, it becomes clumsy anti-army kind of stuff. The antagonist is a paper-thin caricature. Few daring escapes, little cleverness, one great character (Mark). There is one more sequel to this, prequel to the original book, and I am hoping for better.

One book with many different stories, intertwined. Most were good, some didn't do it for me. The courtroom drama I liked, along with the flashbacks and cross-examinations. The police procedural bits were a little too casual in the beginning and a little too convenient in the end. The romantic (or should I say the Moby Dick) side story was mostly irritating - but probably a better love story than Twilight. The racism (and/or nationalism) was accurate and gave an excellent counterpoint to the main story. The descriptive language was beautiful. Mother nature was, throughout the book, a bitch. I have not seen the movie, and don't plan to.

This is the second book in my quest to read from my friend's "10 books that influenced" lists, and I look forward to discussing it with Kila. For me, this book would have been much better without Ishmael.

My good friend Dean put this on a list of "10 books that influenced" him. What I found here was a history lesson wrapped in a thriller and decorated with cautionary notes. The antagonist was strong; the protagonist was weak but in the end made powerful connections. I found the history lesson solid and the thriller compelling - I finished the book in two days. Written in the 70s when the crime rate was higher than today, an updated version would probably fight terrorism... Patriot Act, anyone? Overall a very good read.

One of my favorite cartoon strips as a kid was Funky Winkerbean, especially the band strips. This collection covers the first three years, and I am glad it is finally available. The only thing better would be to have them electronically - this tome weighs in a 2.5 pounds!

On this night of repeating Seattle champions, I finished another book about a team from Seattle that won back-to-back championships (1940 and 1941). In many was, this book was an excellent follow-on to Boys in the Boat - in time period and in historical personalities. The writing is, unfortunately, not as good. The author covers 27 seasons (along with lead in and follow up) and did a fairly decent job of it. The character of Emil Sick, Fred Hutchison and others come through well. The resulting book is a solid 3½ star effort.

This sequel (and middle book of the trilogy) has two stories and is a pretty quick read. One Seldon crisis is averted and the other missed, but the answer perhaps foreseen. The last book will tell in this SF version of Gibbon's history.

Isaac Asimov continues the theme of good things falling apart, in this case with petty despots taking over the reigns of the Foundation. Similar things are hinted at behind the scenes, with the hero of the first story subsequently reported dead in the slave mines.

Though the middle book, one could stop reading here. While not the most positive characterization of women, the main character of the second story is well written. Worth of 4 stars, if not quite as good as the first book.

Well researched historical non-fiction with the pacing of a good mystery. The descriptions of the races are exciting, but this is far more than just good sports writing. Character backgrounds are clear and concise, with surprising connections throughout. Very well written; hope to read more from this author soon.

This really excellent book covers history, science and preparedness for earthquakes and tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest region. From the history, I loved the way they solved, down to the hour, the last major earthquake (magnitude 8.7 to 9.2) in the area. Color images would have been nice. Highly recommended!