Month: September 2008

Steven Berlin Johnson has been justly celebrated for several of his books. I’ve read his blog and many of his articles in Salon and The New York Times, but The Ghost Map was the first book I’ve read. The subtitle is “The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic–and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World.” Johnson’s own sense of wonder in telling the story comes through. Biography of an idea, profile of an early scientist, chronicle of how ideas spread (as much as disease), and history of data visualization: this book wraps several narratives together, wonderfully.

I’m embarrassed to reveal that I read The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Please don’t repeat my mistake.

Murder in the White House by Margaret Patterson is an eminently forgettable mystery. Location, location, location may rule in real estate, but it’s not enough to make up for boring plot.

After all these years (and several re-readings of The Hunt for Red October), finding a pure Tom Clancy novel that I’ve missed helped fill several hours of travel. Without Remorse delves into the background of John Clark, a constant Jack Ryan companion in many of the novels. Clark was memorably played by Willem Dafoe in the 1994 film Clear and Present Danger. (Dafoe is too small, but otherwise matched the character of this novel.)

Without Remorse takes place in the 1960s and early 1970s, prior to the Ryan universe. Here’s a plot summary, courtesy of Wikipedia. I’m just glad this was written by Tom Clancy, instead of being part of “Tom Clancy’s” world, penned by any number of other folks.

Orson Scott Card is profligate, and I’ve loved several of his books, notably Ender’s Game and a few others in that series. The Worthing Saga collects several related short stories and novellas in a single paperback. I appreciated the Trantor-like setting for several of the later stories, but overall, this was a struggle to complete.

The Most Dangerous Game by Gavin Lyall takes the thread of the well-known short story about man hunting man, and weaves it into a larger spy/mystery story. Nothing special, very much a genre book…fair work, but no need to seek out this 1963 thriller.

The pursuit of victory: the life and achievement of Horatio Nelson pursues a personage whose fictional counterparts have entertained me for years. After multiple readings of C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower novels, and a pleasant perusal of the entire Aubrey-Maturin series, I could not miss the opportunity to learn the facts behind the legend. Roger Knight is a scholar, and The Economist crowed: “This superb work is the definitive Nelson biography.” I enjoyed it, especially the coverage (and maps & charts!) of the battles which made Nelson’s reputation.

If you’re looking for another opinion, “Commander of Sea, Myth and Tea Towel” is the NYTimes review.