The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker - A Short Story Review

One can make a case that Fantasy is just the opposite side of the coin where Science Fiction resides.  Technology can be substituted by magic, starships by dragons.

I prefer to imagine my world forward because I am curious.  I want to know what is around the next bend.  When you look far enough back, history becomes legend.  Somehow I don’t find that as satisfying.

This is a fantasy story.  

A young boy is noticed then groomed to become the next court magician.  He is overseen by - a ghost - I guess, but certainly his predecessor.

The child learns everything he is taught and is disappointed that most of the magic he has seen can be explained as slight of hand.  The more he learns the closer he gets to real magic.  Real magic exists but at a cost to the magician.

How much of that cost can the young man bear?

It was a well written story and a good one to boot.  It’s just not the kind of story I am drawn to.

I just wish the Hugos would split the Fantasy from the Science Fiction.  This is something Lightspeed Magazine identifies and I appreciate it very much.

Sarah Pinsker’s website - http://sarahpinsker.com/

Lightspeed Magazine - https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

Sarah Pinsker

Armada by Ernest Cline - Book Review #282

I was a big fan of Ernest Cline’s previous book, Ready Player One which was turned into a Steven Spielberg movie.  (I really should see that)

This book was a nice blend of console game history, pop culture and science fiction movies.

What if the rise in popularity of the First Contact SF trope was really a way to get the population of Earth ready for the reality of an alien invasion?   What if all those video games were really training simulations to teach people how to engage the enemy without causing a panic?

I enjoyed this novel as an audio book narrated by Wil Wheaton who was simply terrific in it.

The story itself was rather predictable.  However, the humour that was woven throughout and the gaming history was a perfect vehicle for it.  I can easily imagine Spielberg making a movie of this one too.  And that is because Cline writes vividly and cinematically which made the text disappear and the imagery pop into my imagination.

It’s a fun read so long as that is what you want - fun.  Zach Lightman, who is the narrator and a high school senior, is obsessed with the passing of his father when he was an infant.  He discovers a box of his dad's things in the attic and begins to read his old journals.  In them, he discovers his father's theories about video games and what their functions really are.

I was very happy with this book.

Ernes Cline's website - http://www.ernestcline.com/

Ernest Cline

The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters, and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat by Brooke Bolander - A Short Story Review

Uncanny Magazine July/August 2018

It’s been a while since I’ve ready some short stories and I wanted some kind of direction.  I turned to the Hugo Awards for that.  I decided the 2019 short list would make for an excellent anthology of sorts.

I started from the bottom of the short story list and I plan to work my way up to the winner.

The story was funny, menacing and a perfect twist on the damsel in distress trope.  The Princess Bride came to my mind, but with dinosaurs and that worked very well for me.

One day the Prince from a nearby kingdom wanders by and is nearly eaten.  Through strange circumstances he manages to bring one of the raptor sisters into his realm and tries to make her the Royal Mount to replace the horse he rode in on.

But the Raptor Sisters and the Princess have other ideas.

It is no wonder this story was short-listed; it was fresh, original and had a rollicking good time flipping genres on their sides.

Brooke Bolander’s website - http://brookebolander.com/

Uncanny Magazine - https://uncannymagazine.com/

Brooke Bolander

Deriving Life by Elizabeth Bear - A Short Story Review

This is another story of loss and mourning in the Tor.com January - February 2019 collection.  But this time it tackles the horrible experience of watching your loved one die.

The narrator here is not the easiest person to like but that's also what makes the story compelling.

There is a science-fictiony element to the story, where beings can occupy a dying person's body to give them a pain-free end of life.  People are not cured but the journey is not as terrible as it could be.  However, I found this aspect of the story to be unnecessary.

I've certainly seen the author's name around for years and I've always had her on my TBR list.  This is the first story of hers that I've read and I must say that I've been missing out.  If this is the kind of work she produces then I am already a fan.

There is a quiet confidence in the storytelling that I found compelling.

To be honest, I put the story down a few times just so I could come back to it later.  It was an uncomfortable thing to read but I was taken by how I was able to connect with it.

Well done indeed.

Elizabeth's website - https://www.elizabethbear.com/

Elizabeth Bear

Arctic Drift: A Dirk Pitt Novel by Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler - Book Review #281

I grew up reading Cussler and his Dirk Pitt adventures.

I loved that the story hinged on the lost Franklin Expedition, it is one of Canada's greatest mysteries.  At the time he wrote the story, I am sure that Cussler knew there was a coordinated search, led by Parks Canada, for the lost ships Terror and Erebus.  This was his last chance to have Pitt and Girodino have a hand in their discovery. Wonderful.

The action played out on the shaggy British Columbia coast and in the Northwest Passage.  I liked that the moustache-twirling bad guy was taking advantage of the current climate change crisis, that was a nice nod to the real world.

I used to read the Dirk Pitt adventures in the ‘80s and drifted away from them after getting married and having children.  Now Pitt has kids of his own and is married!  I will have to find some older novels to catch up on things.

Having his kids investigate one part of the conspiracy while Pitt and Girodino chase their own high-arctic leads made for a well structured story.

These books are still terrific fun and an easy page-turner.

Highly recommended if you’re looking for escapist adventuring.

Clive Cussler’s website - https://clive-cussler-books.com/

Clive Cussler

Dirk Cussler

Beyond the El by John Chu - A Short Story Review

I cannot remember how I came across this little collection of stories from Tor.com but there it was waiting for me in my Kobo app.  The ebook contains six stories.  This was the first.

It was a sad story about a waiter coping with the loss of his mother and how he tries to recreate her dumplings.

There is much more going on here than just that.  As he comes to terms with the loss of his mother he has to contend with his cunning and self-involved big sister who takes advantage of him at every opportunity.

The other employees of the restaurant see that he is suffering and offer help which is always politely refused.  But there is one person whom the main character has a connection.

This was a charming story.

John Chu's website - http://www.johnchu.net/

The link to this story - https://www.tor.com/2019/01/16/beyond-the-el-john-chu/

Unstoppable by Bill Nye - Book Report #280

Harnessing Science to Change The World

This is THE book that I've been searching for.

Climate change is a big, big topic and most of what I've read has been all about the doom.  But surely, as Peter Diamandis often says, "The world's biggest problems are the world's biggest business opportunities."

I am an optimist by nature and if there is a problem, I like to take the position of; "Okay, what can we do from now on to prevent or fix the problem?"  It does the world no good to constantly claim that the sky is falling.

If there are better ways to do things how can we go about doing them?

Bill Nye holds no punches but also doesn't go about blaming or pointing fingers.  We, as a society, went about our ways in what we believed at the time to be the most effective way to grow, progress and thrive.  And we've done exactly that.  But we were not looking at the whole picture.

As humans, we've always believed that the world was limitless because, when there were much fewer of us the planet could actually sustain us - to a point.  We were doing things from the very start that put us on a path to where we are today.  I'm talking about CO2 here.

The book tackles a multitude of problems and explains how it came about but more importantly how to move forward from here.  Energy production, transportation of goods and people, food production, desalinating seawater and the importance of space as a resource are all explored here.

There is a wonderful portion in the book where Bill, I feel that it's okay to call him Bill, walks the reader through his house to show all of the ways he's making changes to reduce his personal carbon footprint.  Can he do all of this because he has money?  Of course.  But it serves as an inspiration to try to make changes around your own home.  Rain barrels are a fine example of a cheap way to conserve water and not spend a lot of money creating the system.

The book is clear, concise and with a dash of humour along the way.  This is the kind of book you'll refer to and lend to your friends.

Buy it.

Bill Nye's website - https://billnye.com/

Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw by Will Ferguson - Book Review #279

Travels in Search of Canada

Sometimes, especially around July (read Canada Day) I pick up, buy or borrow a book about Canada.

I've known of Will Ferguson for years and especially this book; the title has always stood out.  This time, I ran across an article that described him as Canada's Bill Bryson whom I adore.

Good enough for me.  I typed in his name on the EPL website and found Beauty Tips.

Part travel book, part memoir and part history it was a perfect read to inflate my pride in this underrated country.

There was plenty of humour that made me seek out my wife so I could read her passages.  This happened quite often, as it turns out.

In the ten chapters, he covers, almost every province, New Foundland and Labrador has two entries, Furguson explores the smaller, more interesting places tying the history of a place to his personal experience there.

I found myself keeping the book in sight at all times because I was always interested.  The writing is crisp, self-deprecating and always respectful.

It was a joy to read.

Recommended for every Canadain and anybody interested in understanding Canadians a bit more.

Will Ferguson's website - https://www.willferguson.ca/

Will Ferguson

Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig - Book Report #278

This is a heart-warming and helpful little book.  It is filled with bite-sized essays and random thoughts to help you come to terms with, cope and make a positive influence on a world that has seemingly lost its mind.

Matt Haig is refreshingly candid about his struggles coping in a  modern, connected, fake-news-filled world.  Sharing his discoveries and skills of how he navigates the currents of a nasty time in our “civil” society is a gift to anybody who takes the time to read his book.

One of my favourite thoughts come from the chapter Shock of the News, in an essay called, Shocks to the System he says;

"Change doesn't just happen by focusing on the place you want to escape.  It happens by focusing on where you want to reach.  Boost the good guys, don't just knock the bad guys.  Find the hope that is already here and help it grow."

I loved this book.  It was a positive experience and read like a paper-bound twitter account, only better and more thoughtful.  I could pick it up and read a passage or two or make a cup of tea and settle back and enjoy the warmth of a positive human being finding his way in this world.

Highly recommended.

Matt Haig's website - http://www.matthaig.com/

Matt Haig

Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn - Book Review #277

I love Star Wars.  I love heists.  Put them together and you get Han and Chewie putting a team together to rob a Black Sun crime boss.  Nothing to it.

This story takes place shortly after the events of A New Hope, where Han has lost his reward from the Alliance and he has to make it up to pay his debt to Jabba.

I can't say enough about the talents of Marc Thompson, who narrated the book.  His abilities to create character voices was as if an entire cast was making the production.  It really felt like an episode of the movies.

That said Timothy Zahn sometimes went over the top in putting obstacles in the way of the terrific team of specialists Han gathered to do the job.  The safe they had to crack was so elaborate that I completely lost my interest in it.

All-in-all it was an entertaining story if a bit long, I loved how Zahn tied in events of the past with hints of the future.  He also created characters that I wound up caring about and look forward to reading about in the future.


The book is certainly set up for a sequel.

Lots of fun.

Timothy Zahn's ISFDB page - http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Timothy_Zahn

Timothy Zahn

The Latte Factor by David Bach and John David Mann - Book Report #276

I am Canadian so I recognized this book for what it is - an American version of The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton who wrote his book in 1989.

It is a narrative about a 27 year old woman working in a high-pressure job at a travel magazine in New York.  She is loaded with debt and is living paycheque to paycheque.  Her boss sends her to speak to Henry the owner of a coffee shop for advice.

Even though I am 54 I still found the message compelling.  Although I won’t have the benefit of decades to grow my money I can still create a much-needed financial cushion from the lessons within the book.

I enjoyed the structure of the book, it felt much more natural than The 5AM Club.  Best of all, the book is less than 150 pages, making for an easy read.

I will say here that I loved the length of the book, it had the effect of distilling the message and focusing the advice.  I like how a limited space removes the need to “fill” the book.


Recommended.

David Bach's website - https://davidbach.com/

David Bach

Into the Black by Rowland White - Book Report #275

As a fan of all things NASA I am constantly surprised as to how much I do not know.

The length of time it took to decide to build the shuttle, the preliminary work involved before any metal was bent, the different entities within the US government that fought over it, the construction and the testing before it was finally launched was fascinating to me.

The shuttle program was decided to go ahead while men were walking on the moon during the Apollo 16 mission.

In the mid-sixties, reconnaissance satellites were so primitive that images were shot on film and the film parachuted down to earth to be picked up by specially designed aircraft that would pluck them from the sky.  The technology did not exist to wirelessly send images from space, which seems odd since TV signals were being beamed from the moon.  I'm sure it had something to do with encryption.

The thing about NASA and the space program is just how risky everything they do really is.  They just make it look and sound like it’s no big deal.  But all of the hardware is on the absolute bleeding edge of technology and engineering.

Everything about the Shuttle was new and it was BIG compared to anything else NASA had done.  Transporting the Shuttle on a 747 was not a new idea but noting had been tried at that scale.

The fully-assembled launch stack was completely new.

And that heat shield was a nightmare to design, test and fly.

The Shuttle became what NASA had wanted it to be; an everyday thing, routine and boring.  But it was nothing of the kind.

This was a thoroughly engrossing book.

Highly recommended.

Rowland White's website - http://www.rowlandwhite.com/

Rowland White

The Boat by Alistair MacLeod - A Short Story Review

I have never read something so tragic, beautiful, frustrating, and yet, hopeful.

The narrator describes what it was like growing up in a small fishing village in the Canadian Maritimes.  The story is not about himself so much as it is a contemplation of his father's life.  How he became a fisherman, the importance of "the boat" in the family and the relationship he had with his wife.

It was a beautiful story one that implanted itself vividly in my mind and stayed there for weeks.

I came to it in the strange way of "connections,"  I was listening to the CBC when a song was announced as being inspired by this story.  I have known of Macleod for years, I even had the collection, Island on my shelf for years but donated it away unread.

Through the Edmonton Public Library, I downloaded the ebook and was immediately transported to the small home on the rocks.  So far, it is the only story I've read and the book which is due back soon, but I don't want the memory this story to be faded by the others.  At least not for now.

Highly recommended.

Alistair MacLeod

Firefly: Big Damn Hero by James Lovegrove and Nancy Holder - Book Review #274

It was a joy to see the crew in the ‘verse once again!

This is the first instalment in a three-book run of tie-in novels in the Firefly universe.

I truly believed these stories were never going to see print.  Joss Whedon has been reluctant to open the universe he created to expansion.  Perhaps he’s come to the conclusion that this is the medium where Malcom Reynolds and the rest of the crew can “keep flying.”

As a story, it was pretty good.  Most of my giddy fan-boy self needed a few chapters to settle down and enjoy the story for what it is - a new adventure!

I do like how the book went back to the TV show’s roots and began the story with Badger consigning a cargo to the crew of Serenity.  It had a nice symmetry.

But things go wrong quickly when Mal is kidnapped, the crew is split up and Zoe must take the ship out to make the time-sensitive delivery.

If you’re a fan of Firefly do not hesitate to buy the book.  It is a lovely thing to hold and will make any Browncoat happy to have it on display.

The author had a perfect grasp of the characters and the universe they inhabit.  It also had fantastic passages that shed light on Mal’s early years.  This is where the book sang for me.  Getting to know these terrific characters a little bit better is welcomed.

Recommended.

James Lovegrove’s website - https://www.jameslovegrove.com/

Nancy Holder’s website - http://nancyholder.com/

James Lovegrove

Nancy Holder

Outbound by Brad R Torgersen - Book Review #273

This was a scary then hopeful story of a boy who is caught up in a civilization-ending war.

Why can’t humans get over their Earthbound problems?  Instead, war breaks out, like it always does, but this time the consequences are epically tragic.

Our young narrator survives the attacks and then takes up a quest to find a rumoured race of people living in the Kuiper belt.

I love these kinds of stories that take place on a giant canvas but are intensely personal too.

This was excellent stuff that is rich in possibilities of more stories to be enjoyed.

Seek it out.

Well worth the read.

Brad R Torgersen’s website - http://bradrtorgersen.com/

Brad R Torgersen

Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov - Book Review #272

Apparently, this was Isaac Asimov’s first published novel but certainly not his first published work.

It’s a terrific time travel novel, where an accident at a nuclear research facility sends an unsuspecting, retired tailor into a distant future where Earth is a backwater planet in a galactic empire.

Fish out of water stories are always captivating to me because they are a perfect vehicle for new readers to grasp a world they are unfamiliar with.  Instead of having to read through chapters of exposition the world building is achieved through the eye of a character who is as new to the environment as the reader.

Joseph Schwartz is minding his own business, walking down the streets of Chicago, when he is instantly transported thousands of years into the future.  What transpires next is a story of his wandering the much-changed Earth and how his chance meetings with people change his destiny entirely.

He learns that the Earth is a radioactive wasteland, apparently WWIII did occur but it is never mentioned because it is so far in the past that it is nearly forgotten.  In this time Earth is not alone, it is part of a galaxy-spanning empire which has changed the culture completely.

I found the story held up rather nicely for one published in 1950. In books this old it is often the female characters that make me cringe. They are usually looked down upon, weak, unintelligent, quick to fall in love with a man, or any combination of those traits.

In this book, the woman is a capable person who does fall in love rather quickly but, to be fair, the male character does too, so it’s a wash.

I found the story bogged down in the last quarter where a scene in a prison cell went on far longer than it needed to.  It felt like Asimov was padding his word count, something a lot of authors are forced to do and it drives me crazy.  Publishers need to get over trying to make books a certain length and allow a story to be well told.

Anyway, it was a cozy story and I liked it very much.

Isaac Asimov

Charlie 316 by Colin Conway and Frank Zafiro - Book Report #271

This story crackled from the page.  (I've always wanted to write that.)

I love a good police procedural because I like to see the behind-the-scenes work and influences at play.

Tyler Garrett is an exemplary cop and is often tapped to make public appearances to promote the Spokane Police Department.

One day, while making a routine traffic stop, he is ambushed and shots are exchanged.  By the end of the shoot-out, the man who was pulled over is dead, having been shot in the back by officer Garrett.

What transpires next involves politics, dirty cops, crazy theories and some damn cold decisions.

All of this felt very real and there were many moments where my heart beat just a bit harder.



One of my favourite passages described a bar where the powerful and connected go to have a drink;

Business and politics were discussed at every table.  If those subjects weren't to your liking, you could always move down the street to one of the cheap joints where depression and failure were served on tap.

Zafiro and Conway wrote a crystal-clear story and I found myself thinking how it reminded me of Robert B Parker's Spenser novels.  It was all about asking endless questions and tugging on threads.  You never know which detail will bring the whole mystery apart.

The twist of the story came as a complete surprise to me and I had to put the book down to catch my breath.  After that, the whole story took on a menace and I found myself physically leaning into the book while I read, my nose almost touched the screen.

This was a terrific read.

Highly recommended.

Frank Zafiro's website - http://www.frankzafiro.com/

Colin Conway's website - https://colinconway.com/

Frank Zafiro

Colin Conway

Suicide of the West by Jonah Goldberg - Book Report #270

Wow!

This is a deep, twisting and mind-numbingly complicated topic.

Why does the world seem so angry?  Why are there so many trolls on the internet?  Is our democracy eroding?  Has capitalism reached its end days?

All of these questions and possible paths to take to avoid war and anarchy are addressed.  Yes, I found some of this impossible to follow but I simply allowed the narrative to continue and to glean the broader concepts.

All-in-all, it was a frightening subject to contemplate considering that our economy (meaning money) is completely decoupled from nature, which is where our economy comes from.

Faced with the realities of crushing national & personal debt, climate change, a growing economic gap between the rich & poor and immigration, humanity is swinging back to populism, read tribalism, in order to cope with these overwhelming problems.

I am unable to give the book its just review here because I am simply not as smart as the author.  I can say that I found it to be a well researched and well-argued subject and that I am richer and more informed for having “read” it.  (It was the audiobook version, thanks to the Edmonton Public Library)

Highly recommended.

Jonah Goldberg 

Stumptown by Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth - A Graphic Novel Review

The Case of the Girl Who Took her Shampoo (But Left her Mini)

I came to this story from ad on television.  Cobie Smulders will star in the TV adaptation of the comic series written by Greg Rucka.  

I’m a sucker for strong characters who are unafraid of dangerous situations, Dex Parios is one tough woman, who is in deep debt with a casino and must do a job for them to have her debt cleared.

As Dex looks for the granddaughter of the casino owner she uncovers dangerous connections and takes a beating in the process.

The story was quick-paced, dark, funny and scary.  Matthew Southworth’s art created a gritty mood and the colours captured the mood and atmosphere of the Oregon coast.

I enjoyed the story very much because it kept to the classic PI storytelling without having to prove itself as being “edgy” by being overtly gratuitous with the violence.  Plus, Dex is sassy as hell and I like that.

I am glad to have read it and happy that I’ll have a TV show to go with it.

Recommended.

Greg Rucka's website - http://www.gregrucka.com/wp/

Matthew Southworth's website - http://matthewsouthworth.net/

Greg Rucka

Matthew Southworth

The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma - Book Review #269

Okay, first off let me say that Sharma is not the best writer of narrative fiction.  Which is too bad because the whole book is a story of three unlikely companions who meet at a motivational talk.

Like many self-help books, I found that I could use a few tips but trying to work my life into the suggested format, well ...

I did take to heart and make changes to my digital distractions.  I've turned just about every notification off and I have found that my life is much more peaceful from that single act.  Now I see that Sharma was right; I look around and see everybody staring at screens.  I sometimes find it difficult to hold a conversation with someone because they are constantly checking their phone.

I've also taken a closer look at the quality of my time spent on my devices; I now ask myself,  “am I learning something new or am I being sucked into an Instagram or Twitter vortex?”

Instead of having notifications pushed to me, and distracting me, I pull the information down when I'm ready.

Let me say that reading the book was not a waste of my time.  I learned a lot and I've taken some of its lessons to heart but to live in a prescribed manner?  Well, I am not sold on it.

I do however get up at 5 am, but I was doing so before the book.

Near the end, reading it got a bit tedious as the language kept getting more grandiose.

It’s worth reading, I just don’t think it’s worth buying.  Borrow it from a friend or the library.

Robins Sharma's website - https://www.robinsharma.com/

Robin Sharma

Do You Really Need It? By Pierre-Yves McSween - Book Report #268

The book consists of a list of 41 basic questions anybody, at any time in life, should be asking themselves.

Do you really need a new car, a specific brand, a budget or even ownership?

There is quite a bit of humour spread throughout which helps to explain and shine a light on the pressures we all face to conform with society and how that affects us financially.

I found myself putting the book down often to think about my own choices.  This book is quite illuminating.

It is often helpful to step back and see what we do automatically in our daily lives and to question it.

Recommended.

Pierre-Yves McSween

Forty Signs of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson - Book Report #267

It was fortunate that I listened to the audiobooks of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy.  It allowed me to understand his voice.  KSR takes his time to develop characters pretty much to the exclusion of a plot.  But you have to wade through it before he allows you to experience the actual reason you’re reading the book.

This was the case with Forty Signs of Rain.  I had to wade through a lot of diaper changes and descriptions of how the National Science Foundation funds research.

Thankfully, the author sprinkled some climate change information between chapters.

In the end, and I mean the very end, the environmental troubles begin to happen and this is where Mr. Robinson shines.  Wading through all the exposition brings the enormity of the problem to light.  As a species, we’ve never had to deal with our impact on the world but we are now at the end of this time of innocence.

Fiction can and must play a role in helping us imagine a new future.  This is where KSR’s towering intellect gives us a well thought out, realistic scenario to contemplate.  He takes his role as a person who can imagine possible human futures seriously.  If you read any of the non-fiction out there on the subject you can come away from it more confused than ever and probably feeling helpless too.

Fiction plays a most important role in that it can make sense of the complex and illustrate the situation along with showing us possible paths through challenging times.  For my part, I try to look at things in terms of “what’s next?”  The non-fiction world is usually pretty thin on solutions or alternatives because it steps into the world of speculation and those authors are uncomfortable with that kind of creative thinking.

This is why it is so very important to read both fiction and non-fiction.  Any time a book can make you stop an think then it made an impact and it was good that you read it.

Highly recommended.  Looking forward to reading book two in the trilogy.

Kim Stanley Robinson

Leviathans of Jupiter by Ben Bova - Book Report #266

I always intend to start Bova's Grand Tour from the beginning but have yet to accomplish it.

According to Bova, every book in the series is a stand-alone in its own right.  However, part of the payoff from reading a series is the recurring characters and a sense of understanding of how the world works.

What keeps bringing me back to his work is how plausible his vision of the future is.  Since there is no FTL technology, his stories show just how enormous the Sol system is.

The only complaint I have is something I've found in all the books; his antagonist is always a mustache-twisting egotist who suffers from some kind of mental break.  Oh, and the women.  Yikes!  Why does the author feel that every female must fall in love with one of his male characters?

Okay, that's the complaining.  As a science fiction adventure, it's a pretty darn good read.  It centers around a research station orbiting Jupiter.  Below the clouds, there is an ocean thousands of kilometres deep where life exists.

Robotic probes and lives have been lost in trying to learn about the leviathans that inhabit this strange place.  But now, after a secret project to build a better human-rated ship is completed, the station manager must work against time and his superior to launch the mission before he is ordered to stop.

It is a rather unlikely crew that makes the dangerous trip but that doesn't matter as I was treated to a terrific yarn below the clouds.

After reading the book I still want to experience the series from the beginning.

Ben Bova's website - http://benbova.com/

Ben Bova

Curing Affluenza by Richard Denniss - Book Review #265

Like Enough is Enough this book takes a look at our current capitalist system and suggests changes to allow humanity to live in harmony with the Earth's ecosystem.

In both books, it is stressed that it is the ecosystem that has allowed us to create our current economic system.  One of the ideas that really gave me pause was money; it was invented by humans and has no relationship to the environment, it only has value because we've all agreed to it.  If we continue to destroy resources in pursuit of money there will be consequences.  But we already know that.

Curing Affluenza takes a closer look at needed changes to our current capitalist system and points to the benefit of the service industries, how government services are not as bad as the press and private industry claim and how the pursuit of more stuff is part of the problem.

Dennis claims that we must change how we identify ourselves from "consumers" to "citizens" that are part of a larger whole.

Changes are needed and coming but it doesn't mean it's the end of the world.  It has happened many times before, think of how society radically changed after WWII.  The only lingering worry is whether we've done too much damage to our planet already.

I highly recommend this book.

Richard Denniss

\