I’m not sure how it hove into view originally, except that James Devine’s The Nixon Challenge is alternate history and I’m into that sort of thing. The basic premise is that a dramatic event between Election Day 1960 and Inauguration Day 1961 convinces Richard Nixon that he should, indeed, contest election results in several important states. The book is essentially an examination of Constitutional law as it refers to Presidential succession (with a certain amount of matter-of-fact observing that Kennedy-Johnson flat-out stole the election in the first place), but it’s done so in a lively style and narrative. I found it entertaining and informative; you might do likewise.
Continue reading Book of the Week: “The Nixon Challenge.”
Tag: book of the week
Book of the Week… is still “The Shepherd’s Crown,” yes.
I should have mentioned this earlier, sorry. I couldn’t think of a book that I wanted to have up there this week more than The Shepherd’s Crown, also sorry. …And I’m sorry a third time, because I’m not really all that sorry at all.
Book of the Week: “The Shepherd’s Crown.”
The Shepherd’s Crown is the last Discworld novel. To mangle Sir Terry himself: it is impossible for you to have gotten this far and not understand what that means.
And so, adieu to The Bunker
Book of the Week: “The Bunker.”
I was under the impression that The Bunker was what they based Downfall on, but it turns out that the two works are just looking at the same thing; the last days of the Nazi regime (specifically, Hitler’s final days and death in the Berlin bunker). It’s a very lively work, given that it was written by a journalist and not an academic. I also assume that we’ll get at least one person in comments who will politely but firmly bring up James O’Donnell’s (the author) weakness for a good narrative. Still, it was and is compelling reading.
And so, adieu to Snow Crash
Moe Lane
Book of the Week: ‘Snow Crash.’
Why Snow Crash? Because…
Until a man is twenty-five, he still thinks, every so often, that under the right circumstances he could be the baddest motherfucker in the world. If I moved to a martial-arts monastery in China and studied real hard for ten years. If my family was wiped out by Colombian drug dealers and I swore myself to revenge. If I got a fatal disease, had one year to live, devoted it to wiping out street crime. If I dropped out and devoted my life to being bad.
When I write something that’s that good, believe me: I’ll let you know.
And so, adieu to Ringworld
Book of the Week: Ringworld.
I’m a little surprised that Ringworld hasn’t come up, yet. Maybe I’m assuming that those of you who are science fiction fans are all Niven fans already. Anyway, it’s the best damn pastiche of the Wizard of Oz you’ll ever read. No, seriously, Larry Niven himself has had this insight (WARNING: TV TROPES LINK).
And so, adieu to The High Crusade.
Book of the Week: “The High Crusade.”
How to describe Poul Anderson’s The High Crusade? Well. Do you like books where alien invaders discover why it’s not a good idea to mess with a 14th Century English baron who has a complete set of longbowmen with him?
…The answer to that should be ‘yes,’ by the way. Not that I’m judging you if it’s not. Well, not too much.
And so, adieu to Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation.
Book of the Week: Console Wars.
I’m only about a quarter of the way through Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation, but it’s gripping reading. Sufficiently gripping that you should probably pick it up. The funny part? I was growing up during all of this, and I still somehow missed it… oh, right, my parents didn’t let us have video game consoles in the house. Which was probably wise. On the other hand, my eldest is starting to make some SWEET stuff in Minecraft.
And so, adieu to Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary. Which is still sitting on the desk at home, tanjit. Oops…
Book of the Week: “Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary.”
OK, I admit it: I’m saving JRR Tolkien’s Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary for Pennsic. Gotta have something to read while I’m waiting for the rain to stop, the dancing to start, or the beer to get cold. But my wife read it, and she liked it, and shoot, it’s JRR Tolkien. It’s not like I’m taking some kind of hideous risk here.
And so, adieu to A Matter for Men, which was apparently a touch more, ah, controversial a choice than I had hitherto imagined. Continue reading Book of the Week: “Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary.”
Book of the Week: A Matter For Men.
I will regret this; but there have been… rumors… that Book Five of David Gerrold’s War Against The Chtorr alien invasion series may be approaching a place where it could be considered as possibly being in a position where it might be -and this is going to sound strange, I know – well, published. I don’t believe it, either… but I can’t make myself quite disbelieve. So, since I apparently enjoy feeling the pain of broken hope, here’s A Matter for Men (The War Against the Chtorr, Book One). It’ll all end in tears, of course. Ten thousand years from now, they’ll uncrate David Gerrold’s cyronically frozen head and ask him “WHEN ARE YOU FINISHING THE SERIES?!?” …And there still will be no good answer.
But I’m not bitter!
And so, adieu to The Lost Majority. Continue reading Book of the Week: A Matter For Men.