Fictional Books

The Science Fictional Dinosaur edited by Robert Silverberg, Charles G. Waugh, and Martin Harry Greenberg, Avon/Flare 1st edition paperback, January 1982. Great SF dinosaur tales by Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov (2 stories), Robert Silverberg, Harry Harrison, Brian W. Aldiss, Robert F. Young, and others. There's also a further reading list, a glossary, selected Mesozoic reptile list, and more. Cover by Tim Hildebrandt.

Not since the writings of H.G. Wells has one writer managed to so much to popularize the real science behind science fiction than Dr. Michael Crichton and for those like me who've either read his works or keep them proudly in their home libraries this book makes a great annotation to all the issues Crichton has raised over his impressive career.

So as not to be too much of a spoiler I'll treat just a few of the entries.

Most notable in Crichton's writing is probably is very famous Jurassic Park, the story of how ancient dinosaur DNA is reconstituted to create modern day dinosaurs on an island theme park of the same name. According to Crichton these miraculous creations are made through a series of easily explainable steps: 1) obtain samples of Jurassic amber...amber being a viscous substance that catches and sometimes preserves ancient mosquitoes so unlikely to be caught there (mosquitoes have existed in one form or another for about three hundred million years), 2) extract blood from the digestive tracts of those selfsame mosquitoes, 3) extract DNA material from that blood (on the assumption that the mosquitoes would've bitten dinosaurs therefore still have their blood), 4) make copies of that DNA, 5) fill any missing gaps in the DNA with frog DNA and finally 5) put the reconstituted DNA into other reptile eggs so they can be born in the normal means.

In my opinion this work is probably the one Crichton work probably best rooted in real science. Interestingly however, the essay on this work shows just how extraordinarily far modern science actually is from accomplishing what this book suggests. Significantly each step of the process has its now seemingly insurmountable difficulties: 1) while the amber may preserve the visible corpus of the mosquitoes it also has its destructive effects in much the same way Egyptian mummification had both its preservative and desctructive qualities, 2) while extraction may yield residual blood there's no way to be certain which creatures were originally bitten or in what combinations 3) while DNA extraction may seem theoretically possible none has been obtained from such old samples, 4) assuming DNA could be obtained copies could easily be made...this is routinely done even in criminal forensic settings...but again the sticking point is getting the usable DNA in the first place and finally 5) even the seemingly mundane task of putting alien dinosaur DNA into other reptile eggs has its difficulties because so far even using merely parts of the DNA chain to direct alien DNA has been barely accomplished.

As can be seen from this first sample, these discussions...building themselves on Crichton's own stories...are inherently fascinating not only for science buffs but even casual readers who merely enjoyed Crichton's work and more interested in the details.

Another exciting example of this is this book's treatment of Crichton's memorable Andromeda Strain. Andromeda Strain...an early work by Crichton...was the story of an attempt by scientists to master an alien virus that found its way to earth. Not surprisingly things were only barely kept in hand yet the story raised interesting questions about the extent to which an alien virus really would be a threat to life on earth.

Ultimately this question involves questions concerning the nature of the genesis of life itself. Today, there are three main theories regarding this important issue: 1) life is extremely common and has occured many times on earth, 2) life is kind of common and started only once on earth and finally 3) life is pretty rare and probably only started once and then spread to other planets. There are varying versions of this last theory that propose anything from merely an earth/mars genesis to something even more broad. The significance of the genesis question finds basis in the idea that presumably only those forms of life sharing a common origin would be able to interact in the type of way necessary to inflict either bacterial or viral damage. While I remain frankly agnostic on these questions owing to our lack of research I nonetheless am fascinated by them as again I think even casual Crichton readers would be.

As a final example, there's a great essay in this book on Crichton's more recent Timeline...the story of a group of researchers who perfect time travel. While admittedly this is one perhaps Crichton has been at his weakest in terms of the supporting science, like the other entries it raises important and thought provoking questions about whether such a device would even be theoretically possible. For those curious, recent works by no less than Stephen Hawking and Kip Thorne have both decidedly NOT supported the idea that time travel is possible. For his part, Hawking even went so far as to suggest a chronology protection principle wherein the very physical forces of nature themselves preclude such phenomenon. However, there are still some holdouts such as Ron Mallett of the University of Connecticut who are still pursuing such research.

For my part the question of the possibility of time travel today is probably much like the question of flight by man over a hundred years ago. If there were entities that could do it, I would reason, then probably we could too. Since a hundred years ago we would've known birds could fly I would've therefore predicted that we someday could too...resolving the problems therein to be merely "engineering issues." Significantly today we are aware of many physical phenomenon which do exceed the speed of light and thereby, at least theoretically, make time travel possible: 1) quantum entanglement wherein vastly separated particles evoke instaneous action at a distance (Einstein's so called "spooky action at a distance"), 2) tachyons, so far theoretical faster than light particles, 3) virtual particles, which phase in and out of existence simply by operation of Heisenberg uncertainty in deep space, 4) possibly the very creation of our universe itself according to Dr. Gott (see his wonderful Time Travel in Einstein's Universe), and finally the cosmis expansion itself which far outspaces the speed of light. With so many birds in the sky, I would be amazed if we couldn't someday, somehow join them. (Although I freely concede that dealing with the technical issues in joining them would certainly give "engineering problems" a whole new meaning!)

Regardless of where you stand on these issues, I hope like me you both read this book and join in the discussion of what are perhaps the most fascinating issues in science raised by one of the best science writers ever.

Dr. Crichton's books always feel like real science- get ready for multiple epiphanies about how real it is! Whether you agree or disagree with the essayists, you're sure to enjoy the thought processes. Warning: This book may lead to uber-nerd discussions.

In The Shakespeare Diaries: A Fictional Autobiography J. P. Wearing combines factual accuracy with the vividness of fiction in a delightful and entertaining book. The lush detail and fascinating context make this "faction," as Wearing describes it, far more stimulating and memorable than non-fiction, while generous annotations lend scholarly authority to this work.



We get to know Shakespeare as a person through his family and friends and through his private aspirations, motives, fears, and ruminations, not to mention his carnal appetites as a gay blade--sure to surprise, if not scandalize. We meet the irrascible Ben Johnson, and we feel death breathing down our collars. Plague, taverns, duels and envy bring Shakespeare's England to life. His discussions with colleagues lend background and depth to the famous plays and characters we know so well. Would that I had had access to Shakespeare's and Nashe's discussions on The Merchant of Venice when I was a student! Although Professor Wearing incorporates many of Shakespeare's own words into his diaries, he has many an interesting muse and beautiful phrase of his own, all carefully presented in authentic Elizabethan and Jacobean English.



I didn't want the book to end and felt sad when it did. I had grown quite fond of Will, and suddenly I missed him. Were the last words of the last entry Shakespeare's or Wearing's? "Little there is in this life that surpasseth the company of good friends."

This book has clear, concise descriptions of procedures that were or are common in the medical field. Add to this a sometimes humorous story and throw in a romance, and you've got a story that keeps you turning the pages. I haven't seen a book like this since Ken Kesey wrote "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

This book, although now quite dated serves a good portion of food for your brain. Essasys look at different aspects of science fiction from writing technique, story telling and at a few unknown authors.

I usually find most theory books dull, and a chore to read through. But as I am an avid Science Fiction reader I found almost all the essays approachable. Many books I've read were discussed and so opened new doors to me for re-reading them. Discussing Science Fiction in a literary fashion should help to promote the cause that Science Fiction is real fiction.

Work such as the creation of new words in British Science fiction, the role of Utopia, and so on. Each is written by a different author and are usually well footnoted and researched.

If you're a Science Fiction fan, but don't enjoy reading theory books, this one might surprise you.

There are two approaches to writing a literary monograph that remain popular today. The first is a socio-political investigation inspired by Marxian metatheory, which, in its strong form featuring a wealth of historical sources, graphs and pie-charts has prompted many a reader to ask the potentially embarrassing question: 'Where is the Literature?' The second adopts a perspective that floats just above the subject's own, which gives detailed close readings, nuanced excavations of various linguistic and literary resonances, but often sacrifices (elides?) the critic's own ideological commitment. Radford has chosen the second course. The field of survey is the entire body of cultural residuals in Thomas Hardy: that is, his references to gothic architecture, to geology, religious practices, his uses of folklore, family trees, his classical allusions etc. It is a theme Radford pursues with monomaniacal perspicuity through the novels in chronological succession, each of which appears with its own inimitably exfoliating commentary. The key text informing Hardy's interest in 'survivals' may be E. B. Tylor's "Primitive Culture" (1871), but through the luxuriant, multi-faceted folds of Radford's investigation, we are certainly touched by the other luminaries in the late-nineteenth century 'sciences of man': Charles Darwin, Kraft-Ebing and Nietzsche. That Radford may not be a Marxist is not to say that he eschews the historical: indeed, the work embodies a formidable amount of primary research into the magazines and periodicals of the time. The picture that emerges is of a society that even as it hurtles forward is clinging ever more desperately, ever more obsessively to the Past. My enduring impression of "Thomas Hardy and the Survivals of Time" is, however, its success at teasing out the novelist's comic wit. As readers of Hardy, we are familiar with his tragic touch, but what of his penchant for bathos, for farce, for black satire? Read Radford's book and find out!

Particularly enjoyed the short story by Dan Aadland about the Norwegian who encouters a Native American ritual funeral site in a tree on his Montana ranch. An excellent read for us city-bound Easterners who appreciate the feeling of expansiveness and freedom so often unavailable in our daily lives. Highly recommended.

Neihardt's best prose work, from material gathered at Pine Ridge Reservation in the forties from Eagle Elk and other Sioux Indians. It draws delightful pictures of Sioux life, weaves in charming Indian folk tales and legends, and describes an enlightened society where generosity was the way to status and young men chosen to hunt for the poor were honored. The gently humorous wisdom that pervades the culture comes to life.

"....for the Great Mysterious One meant all things to be round--the sky and prarie, the sun and moon, the bodies of men and animals, trees and the nests of birds, and the hoop of the people. The days and the seasons come back in a circle, and so do the generations. The young grow old, and from the old young begin and grow. It is the sacred way."

Jesse Earle Bowden is a southern writer in the style of Mississippian, William Faulkner, but without the need of holding a dictionary in one hand as you read. His imaginary town of Ring Jaw is typical the towns of southern Alabama and northwest Florida before air conditioning brought the outsiders down, ruining the tempo and flavor of the area. His mastery of the language of the thirties is on target, bringing to mind an era lost forever.
"When You Reach September" embodies the wonderful writings that Bowden has published over the past 60 years. He has mastered the short story and keeps the reader spellbound as he sketches the stories of the "real" south, using true-to-life happenings that he fictionalizes so perfectly.
When you read "Ruby's Cafe," "The Worm Grunters," or "Six Bushels of Corn" you are reliving the period that Bowden remembers so brillently and so clearly. You are there.
In "I MIss," the reader recalls the six ounce bottles of Coca Cola with slivers of ice and roasted peanuts (you can taste the beverage and smell the memories)you recall the movies of his era, the Big Little Books and "I love a Mystery," an old radio program that "Raiders of the Lost Ark" refers to in that great story.
On and on - one story better than the preceeding one.
I have read Jesse Earle Bowden since the 1950s when he began writing for the Pensacola News Journal, and I have seen his writings mature to the master craftsman he is today.
I highly recommend "When You Reach September." Reading it is time well spent.

"Where Do Dingoes Come From?" is an enjoyable children's storybook. It tells the tale of "Dingo the dog ... a fictional story about a real dog."

The storybook is a literary component of the Dingo the Dog Project. The project offers support to local animal shelters, and is a clever voice to promote pet adoption from these shelters. It also strives to educate children on the proper care of pets.

The storybook itself centers on a child's persistent request to hear her mother recite the story of where dingoes come from, specifically her own dog, Dingo. The mother complies and relays the story of how she used to care for Dingo when he lived in a special home for dogs, until one day she decided to bring him home.

The story is told in words that a child will comprehend and enjoy, plus it will touch on their emotions as they hear about Dingo's loneliness and desire to be loved and cared for.

The vibrant illustrations are very appropriate for the age level of the content, and add even more enjoyment to the reading experience.

This is a charming story with a very important message. I will definitely read this to the wee ones in my life.