Sunday, May 20, 2012

Review: The Caves of Steel


The Caves of Steel
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Mystery science fiction, my two favorite genres masterfully knitted together by Asimov. It is curious this never quite made it to the big screen; it could be a good movie. The structure of society, these giant cities, is interesting; there is the standard inevitablity of greater and greater bureaucratic control at the cost of individualism. But at the same time, the need and value of individualism is implicit in many ways. I was also struck by the musing of Baley about the "ancient" market systems. He says something along the lines of the primitive nature of bartering and chasing the dollar, but then goes on to see that the same traits are still present but directed at status and similar things. I see these themes running through Asimov's work (which is why I am rereading).



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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Review: I, Robot


I, Robot
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



May 2012: I'm excited to reread the extended Foundation series. These stories are great. Witty, fast-paced, still relevant. That is, it still feels futuristic and sci-fi. I particularly like The Evitable Conflict. This story, or rather an aspect of its theme, is big part of the reason I am reading this series. Asimov seems to subscribe to the notion that with enough knowledge and computing power we could predict the future, run the economy, etc. And yet, something always seems to go wrong. Old review: Another old Asimov book of mine without an ISBN. An old Signet paperback from the 50s. Very interesting story. Will Smith movie was very good, but very different.



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Review: Robert B. Parker's Lullaby


Robert B. Parker's Lullaby
Robert B. Parker's Lullaby by Ace Atkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I was skeptical. But Atkins won me over. This a man who knows how to write and who know Spenser's world. He is cleary a well-versed, talented fan of Parker. This is a good book, and captures Spenser as well as can be imagined. Still, there is something ineffable missing. One knows this is not Parker writing. The voice in my head is different. It is just off in little ways that are hard to pinpoint or explain. I'd compare it to a really good counterfeit painting. For the most part perfect, but just a few strokes not quite right that give it away. Nevertheless, fans of Spenser should give it a try, you won't be disappointed.



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Sunday, May 06, 2012

Review: Drop Shot


Drop Shot
Drop Shot by Harlan Coben

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



An action-packed, entertaining read. Make Win black and slighty less psychopathic, and this is basically a Spenser/Hawk novel. Which is not a criticism in itself, I love Spenser and Parker. But, it is, nonetheless, derivative in that way.



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Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Review: Shop Class As Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work


Shop Class As Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work
Shop Class As Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew Crawford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



There were things about this book I really liked, and things that infuriated and frustrated me. Part of the author's point is to revitalize and defend manual work. He wants to show the intellectual rewarding aspects of this kind of work. This part I liked, and he does a wonderful job here, with interesting anecdotes and references to historic thinkers. He seems to want to reject the mind/body dictohomy at the root of the manual-mental work division. But in developing the framework for his argument, he reintroduces or rather fails to reject fully the mind/body dictohomy in the form of a kind of concrete-abstract dichotomy.

Now, this is a real distinction, so what I mean is he consistently priviledges knowledge and ideas that are more concrete over more abstract ones. This is related, I think, to what Ayn Rand called this the anti-conceptual mentality. She says that this mentality "treats concepts as if they were (memorized) percepts; it treats abstractions as if they were perceptual concretes." Crawford doesn't do this completely, but he does fail to treat abstractions as fundamentally connected to and about reality. They are, well, too abstract to provide us with guidance, validity, or objectivity in work. Only, it seems, a particular, concrete direct experience can do this. There is a ubiquitous contrast of a kind navel-gazing, head in the cloud shadow of a person with the real guy doing real work that anyone can see, experience, and measure. We can only get objectivity with things we can see, if it is abstract or far-off, it cannot serve that function, and worse, misleads us. So carpenters know when they have done a good job, they can see it, others can see it. But the manager of some team in a corporate environment has nothing to look at the end of his work day. This, Crawford claims, leaves him with no objective standards to judge his work. What follows in his account are all the problems caricatured by The Office and Dilbert.

This anti-conceptual mentality leads him to several misdiagnoses of problems with contemporary work environments and institutions (the marxist influences don't help either). Nevertheless the book is an interesting and worthwhile read, with many insights into the pleasure and value of work and the essential role that work plays in the good life.



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Review: The Given Day


The Given Day
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I still prefer the Patrick and Angela novels, but Lehane is always an entertaining author. I like how he pushes himself into new areas and genres. This novel brings you into the world of Boston in the 20s. Lehane weaves a complicated plot, but it comes together at the end. I don't know how sold I am on the Babe Ruth angle, but it ended up working and added a novel element to the story.



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