This Week at the Library (1 Sept - 8 Sept)

This week at the library...

• I began the week with Lost Souls, the outstanding finale to the generally impressive Destiny trilogy. David Mack didn't disappoint; in fact, he floored me with the service done to this vein in Trek literature.
• Next I read Albert Marrin's The Spanish-American War, a short history of the beginnings of American imperialism in Cuba and the Phillipines. I read it for Marrin, and his familar style was as enjoyable as ever. It should serve anyone wanting an introduction to the war or a refresher well.
• I finally finished Will Durant's Our Oriental History, an epic work. It is impressive not only for the writing style, but for how much Durant manages to cover. He first examines the meanings of civilization, then covers the political, economic, artistic, literary, and intellectual achievements of the major ancient-era societies and three Asian powers that have lasted to the present day. 
• I received Steven Saylor's Empire in the mail shortly after my weekly visit to the library and had to read it, of course. It's a worthy successor: not as ambitious as Roma, but a good story by itself.
• Lastly I read Michael Crichton's Timeline, a blend of history and science fiction involving an expedition into the past when a team of historians and archaelogists travel to medieval France to fetch a missing colleauge. Entertaining and as informative as Jurassic Park given that some of Crichton's characters lecture throughout the novel.

Selected Quotations:

[Worf] picked up  his weapons from the platform, climbed the stairs, and stepped onto a transport pad. Turning back, he said, "Victory against these odds will be almost impossible."

Dax narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't say impossible."

Worf replied with a smirk, "I meant for the Borg."

 (Lost Souls, David Mack)


Next Week's Potentials:

• I'll be reading The Life of the Greeks by Will Durant, though I'm planning a more leisurely pace. I don't want to fatigue myself on the Story of Civilization series by trying too much at one time.
• The Good that Men Do, which I'd planned to read several weeks ago but which was prempted by the Destiny trilogy. I may return to it.
• Karl Marx: the Passionate Logician; Joel Carmichael. Thought Marx is an abused personality in the United States, I'm rather fond of him: I spent the better part of my second year at university reading from a set of his 'complete works' on and off, and the image that emerged was of a man keenly interested in improving the human condition.
• Innocent Traitor, Alison Weir. A novel about the Lady Jane Grey, a young girl foisted upon the throne and later killed in the course of court politics.