Allan Kaster (ed.) 'The Year's Top Short SF Novels'

This is another Kindle based Sci-Fi anthology, this time of novellas dating from 2010. There are seven works and they make a very mixed bag. The best by far is 'Troika' by Alastair Reynolds which I thought was excellent. 'Jackie's-Boy' by Steven Popkes and 'The Sultan of the Clouds' by Geoffrey A. Landis were both OK. The rest I thought were rather poor. The Stephen Baxter effort 'Return to Titan' reminded me exactly why I don't like his writing. Again, the Kindle edition is very cheap at $6 so I would recommend this book just for 'Troika', and who knows, you may enjoy the other stories more than I did.

AudioText, Kindle edition

 

 

Richard Nelsson, 'Jazz, From New Orleans to the New Generation'

This is a collection reviews of jazz concerts and records that appeared in the Guardian newspaper from 1925 until 2011. It makes a good read, and illustrates the increasing acceptance of jazz, or as it was initially called 'syncopated music'. I found Benny Green's reviews from the early 1960's particularly interesting; he makes his distaste for the Modern Jazz Quartet and for Ornette Coleman very plain, and really I think didn't like Miles Davis much either. But when in early 1960 he reviews 'Kind of Blue' he gets straight to the heart of the matter. I'm not sure that he actually liked the album, but his appreciation of it comes though very clearly. A fine example of the reviewer putting his own taste aside and reporting what he finds.

If you like jazz I think you'll like this book.

Guardian Books, Kindle, edition

 

 

Ian Fleming, 'Moonraker'

An enjoyable read. Atmospheric and fast paced, just don't examine the plot too carefully!

Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, Kindle edition

 

 

Len Deighton, 'Berlin Game'

This is the first of the Bernard Samson novels. Although, having read some of the later ones I knew the outline of what would happen I enjoyed it and it increased my understanding of later events. Definitely recommended.

Harper Collins, 419 pages

 

 

H.G Wells, 'The War of the World'

This was one of the first 'grown up' books that I read, and I've hardly looked at it since school. I'm happy to say that rereading it I was again stuck by Well's skill as a story teller. The tension is nicely built up and well maintained. Like a lot of Well's fiction, the story can be read on several levels, but this is not overdone. Also, unlike a lot of writers, he knows when to stop! An excellent read.

Part of 'The Ultimate Science Fiction Collection: Volume Three', Kindle Edition by Douglas Editions (2009)

 

 

Edgar Rice Burroughs, 'The Land that Time Forgot'

Dated and not that good (or that PC).

Part of 'The Ultimate Science Fiction Collection: Volume Three', Kindle Edition by Douglas Editions (2009)

 

 

Theodore von Karman 'Aerodynamics, Selected topics in the Light of their historical development'

Theodore von Karman (1881 – 1963) was a pioneer of aerodynamics, most notable for his work on supersonic and hypersonic airflow. In this popular history he charts the development of aerodynamics from myths and legends, through da Vinci & Newton, on to Cayley and up until the mid twentieth century. The style of the book is chatty and informal. Mathematics is largely excluded, although the subject matter remains quite technical. The book is divided into six chapters, each covering a single topic, for example the theory of lift or supersonic aerodynamics. I found that von Karman covered a lot subtle and technical material in a clear, concise and enjoyable way. This edition is a reprint of the 1957 second edition and therefore just predates manned spaceflight, which forms the topic of the last chapter. Although this final chapter has been very much overtaken by events it still remains interesting. In summary, I greatly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.

Dover Publications Inc, 203 pages

 

 

Thomas J. Kelly, 'Moon Lander, How we developed the Apollo Lunar Module'

Thomas Kelly was chief engineer (rising to Deputy Program Manager) on the Apollo Lunar Module program. This was one of the most complex parts of the Apollo program, and was one of the last to be defined. The author describes the trials that he and his employer Grumman went though as they and NASA, designed and built this complex spacecraft. The project was huge, for example at its peak in 1966 the drawing office needed to produce 400 drawing a week! Thousands of staff were involved on the project and their efforts needed to be coordinated, their work supervised and the quality controlled. Grumman struggled, the Lunar Module deadlines slipped and relations with NASA became strained. In the end though they succeed, and the Lunar Module was an engineering triumph. Sadly, they were unable to build on this when for several reasons the contract for the Space Shuttle was awarded to another company. Kelly was on the front line throughout this massive project and he tells it how he saw it, warts and all. In places I found the writing rather dry, and a few more illustrations would have been nice. Also, in some ways the book falls uncomfortably between a popular text and a more technical book. Certainly, it deals more with project management than with technical decisions. Still, an interesting book, worth reading.

Smithsonain History of Aviation and Spaceflight Series, 283 pages

 

 

Peter Duffert-Smith and Jonathan Zwart 'Practical Astronomy with your Calculator or Spreadsheet'

This great book collects together a wide range of astronomical calculations in a concise and ready to use format. It is essentially a cookbook presenting approximate methods suitable for a calculator and as well as more accurate spreadsheet methods. Topics covered include time and date calculations, positions of sun, planets and stars, sun rise and set, planet rise and set, and calculating eclipses. The emphasis of the book is on practical calculations, although enough theory is presented to give the reader an understanding of how the calculations work. Spreadsheets in either Excel or Open Office format are available on the publisher's web site. These can form the basis for customisation. For example, I was able to modify one of the example spreadsheets to calculate sun and planet rise and set times throughout 2012 for Neuchâtel (PC-2012.JPG). This is a great book.

Cambridge University Press, 216 pages

 

 

Michael E. Mann 'The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars'

I think there is a good chance that the Hockey Stick graph will be remembered as one of the most important and most controversial images of recent science. Why? Because it shows the temperature of the northern hemisphere wandering up a down by a few tenths of a degree for about 900 years, and then suddenly shooting upwards, especially since the 1960s. The image is striking, something is going on. The something may well be man-made climate change. As soon as it was published in 1999 both results and authors have been subjected to viscous attack. I bought this book partly in support of Mann, one can doubt his methodologies or disagree with his findings, but these are scientific issues and should be handled as such; when the attacks get personal, that is a step much too far. So far despite all of the attempts to discredit it, the Hockey Stick remains resolutely unbroken. It looks like future historians will see it as important, controversial and right! I highly recommend this book.

Columbia University Press

 

 

Sophokles 'Antigonick' Translated by Anne Carson

This is a superb modern translation/adaptation of Antigone. For me, this fast-paced pared down version was rich and powerful, the arguments clearly and dramatically presented. It makes a quick read, and when after an hour or so I got to the end, I reread it immediately! It is printed as if hand written, with Carson's text laid out in handwritten capitals, with little punctuation. Interspersed in the text are illustrations by Bianca Stone. I'm not sure how these relate to the text, maybe that with be clearer on repeated reading. I suspect it will be reread many times. I'll end with a couple of phrases of Sophokles refracted though Carson.

The Chorus to Antigone 'PIETY IS NICE BUT AUTHORITY IS AUTHORITY WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS MAKE YOUR OWN LAWS'

The chilling final chorus 'LAST WORD WISDOM BETTER GET SOME EVEN TOO LATE'

Bloodaxe Books

 

 

Larry Niven 'A world out of Time'

This is a version of the classic sci-fi idea of a modern man, catapulted into the distant future. I first read it as teenager and hugely enjoyed it. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed rereading it... It may not be great literature, but it's no worse for that.  So why not join Jay Corbel as he runs across a transformed Earth, chased by a mad old lady, stumbling across immortality and wondering what the bright new star in the sky is? Oh and watch out of the cat snakes!

Recommended

Kindle Edition from Amazon (www.LarryNiven.net)

 

 

Len Deighton 'Mexico Set'

The second part of the trilogy begun by 'Berlin Game'. More of the same, excellent. Highly recommended.

Harper Collins 403 pages

 

 

Wayne Hales,et al (Eds) 'Wings in Orbit: Scientific and Engineering Legacies of the Space Shuttle, 1971 – 2010 (Illustrated Edition, Part 1)'

This is the first of two volumes covering technical aspects of the space shuttle program. There are eighteen chapters each written by a different team of writers and covering a different aspect of the program. Topics range from flight operations, the construction of the International Space Station, through to software design and team building. Obviously, the writing style changes somewhat between chapters, and I found some material is more interesting than others. But overall, I greatly enjoyed the book and learnt a lot about the Space Shuttle, and about NASA's methods. It's easy to present the Shuttle program as an expensive white elephant, but this book makes the range of the spin off benefits plain. You need to be interested about the technical aspects of space flight to enjoy this book, but if you are then I highly recommend it. (A quick note on editions: the book is available as an expensive paper book and in several e-book versions. I purchased the two volume illustrated version. There is also a single volume e-book without the illustrations. I would avoid since the illustrations are important).

Kindle edition from Amazon

 

 

Robert Silverberg 'Lord Valentine's Castle'

This classic fantasy novel tells the journey of Valentine from the rootless juggler to rightful co-ruler of the planet Majipoor. The story is well told and Majipoor is made into a believable place. However, the story is not without failings. For one thing I found it too long, and with a bit of a tendency to sameness. Also, I found the characters a bit too nice, even the villains! Still, an enjoyable book.

Pan books, 505 pages

 

 

David Brin, 'Sundiver'

To be fair to the author, I've read books that are a lot worse than this one. But still...

Kindle edition from Amazon

 

 

Peter Shotwell 'Go! More than a Game'

This is not an introduction to playing Go, although there are sections on strategy and tactics. It is more a book about Go, about its history and its culture. As a beginner at Go I need more of a step-by-step introduction to playing than this book provides, but that is not the fault of the book. I found most of the material interesting and it kept me going back to the Go board for just another quick game.

Tuttle Publishing, e-book version from Amazon

 

 

Len Deighton 'London Game'

So, the final part of the trilogy. Many of the questions from the first two books are resolved, but not all. The game will continue. Recommended.

Harper Collins 435 pages

 

 

Nicholas Rankin 'In Fleming's Commandos, The Story of 30 Assault Unit in WWII'

This interesting and well written book tells the story of 30 Assault Unit. Their role was to go into enemy territory, with or just behind the first attack, and to capture items for Naval Intelligence, code books, equipment, Enigma Machines, etc. The work was dangerous and 30AU were highly skilled. The book abounds with stories of bravery and heroism. It also offers an interesting perspective on the technological developments during WWII, about how technology as well as man power was employed. But, ultimately the book is about a group of brave and fast thinking men. The kind of men who went up to the German radar station near St Pabu in France, rumoured to hold 1,500 German soldiers, and bluffed then into surrendering to a handful of commandos.

Highly recommended.

Faber & Faber, 397 pages

 

 

Mitch Tullock and the Windows Server Team 'Introducing Windows Server 2012'

This is exactly what it says on the cover, an introduction. Not a detailed step-by-step guide, but a general technology overview. I scanned through it over a couple of weeks and am glad I did. If you're interested in Windows Server 2012, then this book is a good place to start. And the e-book is free!

Microsoft Press, e-book version purchased from Amazon

 

 

Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata 'Hikaru no Go, 1, Descent of the Go Master'

This is the first volume of a series of manga comics which greatly popularized the game of go amongst the youth of Japan. After its release in 1998, computer games and consoles where pushed aside to make way for granddad's freshly dusted off go board.

The story begins with sixth grader Hikaru Shindo rummaging though this grandfather's attic looking for something to sell. He finds an old blood stained go board, but only he can see the stain, and only he can hear a mysterious voice. Hikaru becomes possessed by the ghost of Fujiware-no-Sai, an ancient go master.

I wasn't sure how I would enjoy reading a manga, but I was pleasantly surprised, and enjoyed both story and graphics. I recommend it, and suspect that I may be returning again to the story of Hikaru and Sai.

Viz Media, 192 pages

 

 

Tom Wolfe, 'The Right Stuff'

This is the story of the early days of the US manned space program. It is a popular and 'literary' history rather than a technical one; as much space is given over to the huge hog roast that celebrated NASA's arrival in Huston as is given to some of the Mercury flights! I found the book enjoyable, but rather too long, with repetition being used as a literary device too often, perhaps a case of too much of the wrong stuff.

Vintage, 436 pages

 

 

Arturo Pérez Reverte, 'The Dumas Club'

Lucas Corso is a book hunter, a hired gun contracted to investigate the authenticity two texts, an original draft of part of Dumas's The Three Musketeers and a 17th century demonic text. His investigations lead him into a labyrinthine world peopled by obsessive bibliophiles, people seemingly out of Dumas's novel and a strange green eyed girl. This is a complex and rich mystery, in some ways rather reminiscent of Umberto Eco, who may make a brief cameo appearance towards the end. In a novel where nothing is as it seems Pérez Reverte does a great job of wrapping up the reader in the strands of the mystery, then drawing it all to a satisfying end, leaving just enough unresolved. I will definitely look for more of his books. Recommended.

Vintage, 323 pages

 

 

Thomas Adès, 'Full of Noises, conversations with Tom Service'

At the moment I seem to be listening to more of Thomas Adès's than any other contemporary composer. For me his music manages to combine modernity with a strong sense of narrative. His recent opera 'The Tempest' was far and away the highlight of this season's Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. In this book of edited conversations he talks about all aspects of music; what affects his compositional process; his likes and dislikes; performing; music past and music present. Adès with strong clearly expressed views makes an interesting conversationalist and Tom Service does a good job in keeping things moving on. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in classical music.

Faber & Faber, 188 pages

 

 

Ian Wagstaff, 'Lotus 72, Owners' Workshop Manual'

For me the Black and Gold wedge of the Lotus 72 is what a racing car should look like. Seeing it on the cover is often all I need to buy a magazine! I had high hopes for this book, and I was disappointed. In truth it's not a bad book, far from it. It's just that it could have been much better. Too much feels like it has been pasted in from other sources, with only minimal effort made to integrate it all together. There are many excellent reproductions of the original drawings, and it's great to have them; but without more explanation what use are they to the untrained reader? I especially felt the lack of some modern diagrams showing of how the suspension worked. Also, at least for me, the latter career that the 72 in historic racing was covered in too much detail; I would rather have had more about its first career. So, in summary, a reasonable book that could have been an excellent one.

Haynes, 165 pages

 

 

Donald L. Mallich with Peter W. Merlin, 'The Smell of Kerosene'

Donald Mallick was a test pilot. He joined NASA in 1956 and last flew for them in 1987. During a long career he flew some very interesting aircraft, ranging from the 'Flying Bedstead' used for training the Apollo crews, to the supersonic XB-70 Valkyrie and YF-12 Blackbird. In these entertaining memoirs he talks about the triumphs and the tragedies, the highs and the lows. He is an engaging writer and for me he hits the sweet-spot of being simultaneously both approachable and sufficiently technical. Two parts particularly struck me; how when testing a number of general aviation craft he found that a couple of the planes had some rather nasty characteristics which the manufactures knew about, but didn't put the fight manual since that might reduce sales; and how after nine years of good service NASA's trusty JetStar work horse showed another side with a violent and in the hands of another pilot probably fatal wing flutter.

As an aside, there was some discussion on Amazon that this e-book is poor value at around $10 when it is available as a PDF free from one of NASA's archives. I don't agree; from my point-of-view 'Progressive Management Publications' have done a great job formatting this book for the Kindle and making it readily available. Well done Progressive, long may you continue to make such excellent books available!

Highly recommended.

Progressive Management Publications. Kindle edition

 

 

Len Deighton, 'Faith'

The intriguing start of the final Bernard Samson trilogy. Excellent, highly recommended.

Harper Collins, 352 pages

 

 

Jack McDevitt, 'Polaris'

Another Sci-Fi detective story, this time a variation on the classic locked room mystery. The starship Polaris is found empty and drifting, what has happened to the passengers? Antiquities dealer Alex Benedict and side-kick Chase Kolpath take us on a fast moving adventure to find out. I enjoyed the ride; it may have been a bit too long, but it was fun.

Penguin, 385 pages 

 

Alex Ross, 'Listen To This'

In a series of essays Alex Ross, the music critic of the 'New Yorker' takes us on a journey though music, from Björk to Brahms. Music is an interlinked world which should be appreciated as a whole, forget the barriers that separate classical from pop, from world music, from jazz; in the end they are all music, based on the same materials. I agree with this view and embarked enthusiastically on this book. I have to say that I enjoyed some of the essays much more than others, but I guess that's normal for a potpourri book like this.

Recommended.

Fourth Estate, 364 pages

 

 

T. A. Heppenheimer, 'Facing the Heat Barrier, A History of Hypersonics. Sanger, Nose Cones, X-15, Scramjets, Space Shuttle, NASP, X-33, X-34'

Hypersonics is the science of very high speed airflows, where the dominant factor becomes heating. These are speeds way beyond ordinary aircraft; they are the realm of space craft and missiles during reentry, as well as futuristic and so far unrealizable high speed aircraft.

The story begins in world war two Germany with the V rocket program and Sanger and Bredt's 'Silbervogel'; a sub-orbital bomber than would skip across the top of the atmosphere and allow the Germans to directly bomb North America. With a tiny payload this ambitious project never progressed beyond the design stage, but it shows the advanced state of German aerodynamics at that time. Indeed, after the war it took the Americans a number of years to reach the same level, even with access to the German research. In a sense hypersonics is dominated by military applications, and this book charts the changing fortunes of a number of projects, particularly high speed aircraft, even early design cruise missiles. There are also large sections on the development of the reentry systems of the manned space program and on the design requirements of the space shuttle, as well as various air breathing rocket engines and supersonic jet engines. A space craft that can take off like an airplane and just fly into orbit is still unobtainable; this book explains why, but still gives reason to hope that it may be achieved.

NASA, published for Kindle by Progressive Management Publications

 

 

Geraldine Pinch, 'Egyptian Myth, A Very Short Introduction'

This interesting book is not a retelling of Egyptian myths; instead it uses a series of artifacts to explore the ideas behind those often confused and contradictory myths. In places there seems to be no clear picture, and the author does not hide that. This book is not be light reading, but I found it interesting and would recommend it to anyone with more than a passing interest in Ancient Egypt.

Oxford University Press, 143 pages

 

 

Len Deighton, 'Hope'

Gosh, almost at the end of the Bernard Samson series and this excellent book turns up the heat further. The plot takes an unexpected twist, how will this end?

Harper Collins, 305 pages

 

 

Michael Tanner, 'The Faber Pocket Guide to Wagner'

This is a short and sensible guide to the works and the life of Wagner. It seems to be very fashionable to attack Wagner and to see his works as providing the basis for the acts of the Third Reich.  Tanner, correctly I think, robustly refutes this accusation. This book may not be the most profound book on Wagner, but it is one of the sanest. Recommended for anyone wanting an introduction to Wagner, life music and world.

Faber & Faber, Kindle edition.

 

 

Ann Carson, 'An Oresteia'

This is a collection of Ann Carson translations of three Greek tragedies, 'Agamemnon' by Aiskhylos,  'Elektra' by Sophokles and 'Orestes' by Euripides.  It covers the same events as Aiskhylos' Oresteia, but presents them from three contrasting viewpoints. 'Agamemnon' which opens both the real and this alternative Oresteia is monumental grand and ritualised. This contrasts with the character study of 'Electra', whilst in 'Orestes' we return once again to the question of why, but now presented in a more cynical and perhaps humorous light. I greatly enjoyed these three linked but contrasting plays and will look to read more of Ann Carson's translations.

Faber & Faber, Kindle edition.

 

 

Alistair MacLean, 'Ice Station Zebra'

An exciting adventure in the arctic, well plotted and well written. A great read, perfect for a day spent travelling.

Harper Collins E-Books, Kindle edition.

 

 

Lucien Willemin, 'En voiture Simone! Comprendre l'Energie grise'

This is a short, misleading and frankly rather dangerous little book. It gives a greatly simplified view of the life cycle analysis of a motor car and comes to the surprising and in my option, total incorrectly conclusion that driving an old gas guzzling 4x4 is better for the environment that replacing it with a new more eco car. How does he do this? Well he underestimates improvements in petrol consumption, comes up with some irrelevant flummery about how many pieces there are in a car, and most critically does not do a full life cycle analysis. If you make the 'apples vs oranges' comparison of 'energy that goes into making new car', plus 'energy consumption of new car' and compare it to 'energy consumption of old car', then naturally 'old car' looks more eco. Until, that is you include replacing 'old car'.

Life cycle analysis is complex and the answer can depend upon exactly what assumptions are made. For example, if your old 4x4 sits in the garage except for a weekly run to the corner shop, then you should keep it. If, on the other hand, you use it for a daily two hour commute, then you should replace it with a more economical car; the energy that goes into making the new car will be saved by the reduced consumption of the new car within a few years. Sadly Willemin does not provide this sort of analysis, or indeed any true analysis. He should include facts and figures, distance covered per year, fuel consumption, grey energy per car, that sort of thing. Instead he provides irrelevant homilies. In truth he is making a valid point that simply replacing something may not be the most ecological solution. Sadly I think the take-home-message for many people is that thrashing up and down the motorway in their inefficient  car is better than replacing it with a more economically one; they'll know it's true because M. Willemin has said so.

Gassier Media

 

 

Mike Berners-Lee & Duncan Clark, 'The Burning Question'

This is an interesting, challenging and in places disturbing book. It attempts to answer a seemly simple question; why, given that we've known about the dangers of pumping CO2 into the atmosphere for over a century, do we continue to do it, and at an ever increasing rate, despite the existence of increasingly viable alternatives? The authors do not offer any easy answers but do provide an interesting framework for discussing the issues. I found this book interesting and well thought out, with facts and figures provided to support their arguments. If you're interested in environmental issues, especially the more political and social aspects then this is a book for you. Highly recommended.

Profile Books, 268 pages

 

 

Jack McDevitt, 'A Talent For War'

Another novel about Sci-Fi detective and antique dealer Alex Benedict. Not a bad read, but far from McDevitt's best, and frankly too long.

Ace Books, 301 pages

 

 

Stephen Baxter, 'Last and First Contacts'

A collection of short Sci-Fi stories. I found them predictable and with little plot development. The best stories were like inferior Arthur C Clark. Overall this collection is not worth the time.

NewCon Press, Kindle Edition

 

 

Len Deighton, 'Charity'

This makes a satisfying close to Deighton's trilogy of trilogies. Most of the questions are answered, and there is even a sort of happy ending. I have greatly enjoyed this series of novels and highly recommend them. I suspect that I may be revisiting them again at some time, I'm sure that the cryptic and convoluted world of Bernard Samson will be worth a second visit.

Harper Collins, 298 pages

 

 

Gordon Cooper with Bruce Henderson, 'Leap of Faith'

This is a strange book which jumps between Cooper coolly recounting his experiences as a pioneer astronaut in the Mercury and Gemini programs, with his belief in UFOs and his trust in people claiming to have information from aliens. A book in two distinct parts. I enjoyed it, found the NASA stuff interesting, but remain a UFO skeptic.

Harper Touch, 314 pages

 

 

Arturo Pérez Reverte 'The Flanders Panel'

An absorbing mixture of detective story, art history class and chess game. An art restorer discovers hidden beneath the surface of a painting of noblemen playing chess the question 'Who took the knight', and finds herself drawn into a dark world of murder and intrigue; in both fifteenth century Ostenburg and modern Madrid. A gripping, atmospheric novel. Recommended.

Vantage, 294 pages

 

 

Eben Upton & Gareth Halfacree, 'Raspberry Pi User Guide'

This is not a deep guide to any aspect of the Raspberry Pi, instead it offers a good overview of what the Pi is, what it can do, and how to start doing it. In other words, it bridges the gulf between 'Wow I have this great new device, I can do so much with it' and 'why doesn't anyone give clear instructions? If you're new to the Pi this book will help you get up to speed.

Wiley, Kindle Edition

 

 

Len Deighton, 'Billion Dollar Brain'

Another spy story in the series begun by 'The Ipcress file'. To be honest I found it rather weak, especially compared with the Bernard Sampson series. Not Deighton's best work, but I have read much weaker stuff. 

Triad Panther, 254 pages

 

 

Neil Gaiman (with Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III), 'The Sandman, volume 1 Preludes & Nocturnes'

This graphic novel is the first of Gaiman's classic series featuring Morpheus the king of Dreams. The stories are strange, sometimes violent and disturbing, but always gripping. The illustrations complement the stories beautifully and gives them plenty of atmosphere. Having read a number of Gaiman's books I wondered how his voice would come over in the graphic novel format. I felt that during the first couple of stories he was finding his feet, and that only in the last story did he really seem at home. In fact in the 'Afterword' he says that this is the first story in the sequence that he felt was truly his. After finishing volume 1, I ordered volume 2. So, recommended.

 Vertigo, unnumbered pages

 

 

Kenneth W Iliff and Curtis L Peebles, 'From Runway to Orbit: Reflection of a NASA Engineer'

I guess that I'm becoming an aerospace anorak because I found that a fascinating book. The author describes his work on the major NASA 'space planes', the X 15, several lifting bodies, the Shuttle, and then on the aborted National Aerospace Plane, and many other projects. He describes his role on these with passion and enthusiasm. He never seems to lose his joy in these wonderful machines and when possible would head out into the desert to watch the shuttle landings. For me the book finds the perfect balance between the popular and the technical. As a control and stability engineer the author spent much of his working lift pouring over telemetry traces which he describes these in some detail. I thought that the commentary on the traces for the first shuttle reentry is worth the price of the book alone. I could go on about this book for some time, but to be brief, if you're interested in the NASA space planes, or in getting an idea of what it was like to work on those pioneering projects, this is a book for you. Highly recommended.

 Progressive Management Publications, NASA

 

 

Neil Gaiman (with Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Michael, Chris Bachalo, Steve Parkhouse), The Sandman, volume 2, The Doll's House'

As with the previous volume this dark tale is gripping, atmospheric and occasionally disturbing. As Morpheus works to repair the harm caused by his imprisonment, some new characters are introduced and the plot thickens.

Recommended.

Verigo, unnumbered pages

 

 

Jaromir Malek, 'The Cat in Ancient Egypt'

This is an interesting, if occasionally rather plodding, book. The Egyptians very clearly as fascinated by the miu, as they called them, as we are today. Cats wild, domestic, divine and mummified are all covered, and although I think the book would have benefited from a rather lighter touch, I would recommend it to anyone interested in either cats or Ancient Egypt.

 The British Museum Press, 144 pages

 

 

Mark Collier and Bill Manley, 'How to read Egyptian Hieroglyphs, A step-by-step guide to teach yourself' and Bill Manley, 'Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners'

Two books aimed at beginners learning to read Hieroglyphs. Both adopt the same strategy of presenting the student with real ancient texts as quickly as possible. This has the great advantage of dealing with real things, almost immediately making artefacts in museums and books more accessible. The disadvantage is that, at least for me, the basics of the grammar are not really spelt out, so that towards the end of the harder book (Collier and Manley) it was not really clear who was doing what to whom. That minor criticism aside both books offer an excellent start. Both require the student to do some work, quite a lot in the case of Collier and Manley, which has extensive exercises at the end of each chapter. 'Egyptian Hieroglyphs' is the easier of the two, has more explanation of the context of the texts, and is extremely nicely laid out. The hieroglyphs are embedded through the text which makes it easier to read, although making it harder to look at the ancient texts without almost immediately seeing the translation. 'How to Read Egyptian' is a more advanced book and covers the material of the easier book in about the first third. Like the other it is well structured and has the advantage of extensive exercises at the end of each chapter, with answers given at the end of the book.

I would really recommend both books, 'Egyptian Hieroglyphs for complete beginners' as an introduction to get you in the swing of it, and then 'How to Read Egyptian' as a follow-on text.

Manley, Thames and Hudson, 160 pages

Collier and Manley, British Museum Press, 179 pages

 

 

Jack McDevitt, 'Firebird'

Another Axel Benedict novel. A good read, different from the others in that it is less of a mystery novel, but one of the better McDevitt's that I've read.

 Ace Books New York, Kindle edition so no page numbers

 

 

 Neil Gaiman, 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane'

This novel is strange, gothic, nostalgic, magical and utterly wonderful. I loved it! Gaiman's best to date! It begins with the narrator driving back from the funeral of an unnamed relative. Unable to face the reception immediately, he drives past the site of his childhood home and on up the lane to the Hempstock family farm. As he stares over the duck pond, which is really an ocean, dark memories from forty years earlier begin to return.

Highly recommended.

Headline, 248 pages

 

 

Len Deighton, 'An Expensive Place to Die'

Another entertaining spy thriller, maybe not Deighton's best, but still worth the time.

Harper Collins, 244 pages

 

 

Michael Cannell, 'The Limit, life the death in formula one's most dangerous era'

This is the story of two racing drivers; quiet nervous and introverted Phil Hill, and the extroverted German Count Wolfgang Von Trips. In September 1961 they faced off around the Monza Grand Prix circuit, at stake the world title. At the end one man would be champion and the other would lose his life. This is a gripping tail, dealing with a period of racing history with which I am not familiar. It was a dangerous period, populated by larger than life characters, and Cannell tells their story well.

Recommended.

Atlantic Books, 318 pages

 

 

John M. Adams 'The Millionaire and the Mummies'

If mentioned at all, Theodore Davis is usually criticized or dismissed. But in the history of the exploration of Egypt he is actually a major figure. He discovered or cleared more tombs in the Valley of the Kings than anyone else, and wrote up his excavations in lavish books that set new standards. In this book John M. Adams tell Davis's story. Son of a famous fire-breathing evangelist, Davis made a fortune as a New York lawyer. As Adams relates it Davis was far from a straight player, and was involved in several deals that were at the very least questionable. The shady business activities and the brilliant Egyptian discoveries are both covered in this enjoyable book. I'm not sure that it will do much to enhance Davis's reputation, but it does paint an interesting and lively picture of Egypt and the USA during the early part of the twentieth century.

St Martin's Press, 363 pages

 

 

Lily Koppel, 'The Astronaut Wives Clubs'

This is the story of the women who stood behind the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts. Although ill prepared for the limelight and exposure that they received, they were often as tough and resourceful as their famous husbands. They did not have an easy time of it, being forced to endure the pressure of their, mostly absent husband's dangerous work, and in the full glare of publicity. They had to be the perfect American wives, presiding over perfect American homes. As Lily Koppel relates things were often far from perfect. This book captures the difficult world that the Wives inhabited and how they coped with it. Not a technical book, but interesting and worth reading. 'Here's looking at you, Primly Stable'.

Grand Central Publishing, 272 pages

 

 

Robert Harris, 'Lustrum'

This is the second instalment of Harris's Cicero trilogy. Although well written I found it less gripping than its predecessor. Perhaps a novel which suffers from the middle of the trilogy syndrome. Still worth reading, and maybe better appreciated when the series is complete.

Arrow Books, 452 pages

 

 

Andrew Smith, 'Moon Dust, In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth'

So how do you top going to the moon? For a group of American astronauts in the late sixties and early seventies this became a defining question. In this book, part space history, part road journey and part nostalgia fest, Andrew Smith tracks down as many of the surviving moon walkers as he can. Interviewed at length each describes life after the moon. In places I found the book annoying and too much about the author, but over all I think it is worth reading. Only tangentially about the space program, it does highlight the human cost of the endeavor and provides a different perspective.

Bloomsbury, 372 pages

 

 

John H. Taylor & Daniel Antoine, 'Ancient lives, new discoveries. Eight mummies, eight stories'

 Although this book accompanies the British Museum exhibition of the same title, it stands up very well on its own. After an introduction covering the history of mummy unwrapping and describing the modern, non-invasive techniques used in the current study, there are eight chapters, each covering a different mummy. Presented in chronological order, the mummies range from the naturally preserved body of a man from 3'500 BC, through pharaonic Egypt, and ending with a Christian woman from around AD 700. Each chapter follows the same format; an introduction to the surviving remains, some historical context of both body and culture, and a detailed description of specific features. The chapters are all about the right length and can be easily read in a single sitting. The writing style sets a good tone between the scholarly and the popular, and prevents the book becoming dry. Overall highly recommended. I hope that the exhibition is as good.

The British Museum, 192 pages

 

 

Len Deighton 'Goodbye Mickey Mouse'

This is another slow burning Deighton novel. Set on a US airbase in eastern England during world war two, it is a tale of love and conflict, of personal ambition and of tragedy. I had expected something on the lines of 'Bomber', but instead the current book is totally different, though still absorbing and powerful. Well worth reading.

Granada, 448 pages