Book review: Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science by Michael Brooks

Free Radicals by Michael Brooks
(my own photo)

If I was to pick one word to describe this book, it would probably be disappointing.  It wasn't great, and I've had so little time to do extra reading over the past month or two that I felt quite annoyed that I wasted my time on a sub-standard book.

Most people have a particularly understanding of how science and the scientific world works. Science it typically presented as completely objective, as a discipline where everyone is motivated purely by the desire to advance our understanding of the universe.  Now, this is probably true of certain individuals working in science, but it's not the whole truth.  

As someone who's interested in science and ethics I've been thinking a lot about the ideas brought up in this book, and I've done a lot of reading in this area.  As a result, it did cover a lot of territory that I have some familiarity with.  Unfortunately, it was covered quite poorly.  The book is clearly designed to reach a certain conclusion; if something it doesn't fit, it's either not mentioned or brushed over. Even with all of the cherry-picking, the conclusion still seems forced. 

Even if you discount the issues with the content, it just isn't a well-written book.  It jumps really suddenly from one topic to another.  I also take issue with his use of the word 'anarchy'.  I understand that it's supposed to be a keyword that ties the whole book together, but he uses the word in so many different ways, very few of which have anything to do with the generally acknowledged definition of anarchy.  In one chapter, he uses the word anarchy to describe both a scientist sending another scientist a bottle of champagne, and a scientist destroying another scientist's career.

It's not a terrible book, but it is one that I could have happily lived my life without reading.

Chances of finding it in my imaginary bookstore? 45%

Poetry Project: Sestinas!

Sorry this edition is late, I was spectacularly busy.

I've found that my method of selecting poems was a bit too random.  So, I've decided to do a different theme each week.  This week, it's sestinas.

A sestina is a poetic form in which the last word in each line is rotated in a set pattern.  There are six stanzas, each containing six lines, and there is an envoi at the end consisting of three lines.  It creates some interesting effects, but is difficult to write, particularly because the line endings can sound repetitive.

I read a few sestinas this week, and the best one was probably A.E. Stallings' "Sestina: Like".  However, Algernon Swinburne gets an honorable mention for being amazing/crazy enough to write a double sestina, 'The Complaint of Lisa'

I have tried writing sestinas myself and, if you are brave enough to attempt one,  I've found that the sestin-a-matic is a really useful tool.  It will keep track of how the line endings change.

Poetry Project: Week 2

I know this is late, but please enjoy If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda.

Poetry Project: Week 1

I've recently decided that I'm going to commit to reading one poem everyday.  I want to read more poetry, particularly from writers or movements that I haven't explored before.

I thought I might share my favourite poem that I read each week, because life is better with more poetry.

So, without further ado, this week's favourite is "The Café Filtre" by Paul Blackburn.

Just in case you missed me...

Hello there,

It's come to my attention that I haven't posted in ages, and I have been flattering myself, thinking that some of you are actually kind of sad about that.

In my defense, I have been incredibly busy, as I am writing and editing a magazine and we just launched our first issue.

If you want to check out our blog, where you can find the articles in our latest edition, some bonus reviews, and a print archive of all the previous issues, you can find it below 

Shakespeare Cinema Sins

One of the courses I'm taking this year is about Shakespeare, and it looks at both the text of the plays, but also how they're adapted on the stage and screen.  As a result, I've been watching a lot of different films based on Shakespeare plays.

While I've really enjoyed most of them, and I might make a recommendations post at some point in the future, this is not that post.  This is the post were I complain about things that so many of these films get wrong, and that really get on my nerves.

So, without further ado, here are my Top 3 Shakespeare Cinema Sins.

Book Review: Fire and Hemlock

As a fan of fantasy novels, I was always a little bit embarrassed that I had never read any of Dianne Wynn Jones' books.  However, after having read Fire and Hemlock, I think I was a bit hard on myself about it.

The book opens with the protagonist, Polly, looking at a photograph, and realizing that she only has a vague sense of how she got it and the events that followed.  As she looks back and tries to remember, she uncovers many new memories; about the photograph, about Thomas Lynn, and about stories that start to come true...

The book's concept was quite interesting, and supernatural aspects of the novel were very well integrated. I thought the world-building was excellent.  Unlike most fantasy novels, most of the "rules" of the world aren't revealed until very late in the plot. However, there was still a sense that the world had always operated according to those rules, and they didn't have a deus ex machina feel to them.

I thought that the characters were reasonably well written.  There were some complex, dynamic ones that I really enjoyed, but there were also a few characters that were just a bit too flat given their relative importance in the book.

I would have to say that the prose itself was the weakest element of this novel.  It just seemed really clunky.  The dialogue sounded like it was from 1940, even though the book is probably meant to be set in the 70's or the 80's.

I was kind of disappointed with this book, so I think I'll end this review on a question to all the Dianne Wynn Jones fans out there.  Have I got it wrong?  Is Fire and Hemlock just not her best novel?  Which book would you recommend?

Chance of finding it in my imaginary bookstore? 65%