Robinson's "Red Mars" is a comprehensive and complete book on man's colonization of Mars. It is full of scientific, political and economic consequences of human settlement on Mars, and arguments from both sides are presented in detail through the opposing perspectives of different characters within the book. In addition, the book is full of symbolism, such as the "elevator" that is built, only to be pulled down by the hands of the revolution destroying much of the Martian surface and dispersing humans in a manner that made me think of the Tower of Babel.

The story begins on a spaceship of the "first hundred" people that are off to begin life on Mars. All of them are scientists, which of course makes for a less than complete representation of human kind, although full of intellectualism and nutty personalities. The mission is meant to be representative of the world's nationalities, dominated by American and Russian teams. Each group of scientists have their own tasks, whether it is flying the space craft, cultivating food, construction once on Mars, ecologists to study Mars, terraformers, biologists, physicists, and even a psychologist.

The 8 month journey to Mars is enough to drive some people crazy, and Maya, the Russian leader thinks that she is hallucinating when she unwittingly spots a man whom she does not know onboard the spacecraft. People develop relationships and hatreds, and their true personalities start to come out after hiding most of their peculiarities from the selection committee to be able to go to Mars.

Robinson follows different characters for each part of the book, and this makes it a more interesting and in-depth read, as we get different viewpoints on how the people see Mars and what they want from the planet. Some, like Ann, oppose its terraforming, whilst others, such as Sax, can think of nothing but. Hiroko suddenly disappears with a small group of the first hundred and no-one can find them. John and Frank hit heads about how the planet should be run, and one day John is murdered - a shock to everyone.

Politics starts to play an important role as the first hundred decide they will do whatever they want on Mars rather than be controlled by Earth. They are free. Only, they really aren't. Before they know it, waves of immigrants from Earth, sponsored by transnational corporations begin to live on the planet. But Mars is not its own nation and does not have a cohesive political or police structure. Problems quickly rise to a peak and the first hundred realise they are no longer in control.

A revolution begins and is chaotic and uncontrollable. Infrastructure collapses as it is sabotaged. Finally, Nadia the engineer, after finding out that her lover Arkady who began the revolution has been killed by it, decides that enough is enough and she blows up Phobos in an attempt to stop Earth and transnational control and interference. The first hundred realise that they will be seen as ringleaders of the revolution and that they must escape - will they be rescued by Hiroko's detachment?

The book is so complete and full of facts that it is a must for anyone with a passion for Mars and science. It is also a must for those that would think to colonize Mars in the future - as a guide of how not to do it.

A very realistic perspective, well thought out, and a foresight of consequences that gives me goose bumps.

I picked up The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman because I'd heard a lot of great reviews about it, and that it was recommended as a book for younger readers.

It quickly became clear to me that, like the Potter series, this book is targeted at younger readers. The language and tone of the text are straightforward and have that compelling pull that draws the younger reader in, as if the author is sharing a secret story.

The story is that of a young orphan-of-sorts girl, Lyra, who has been allowed to mostly run wild and free in Oxford, among a bunch of dusty scholars. It begins with Lyra's unstoppable curiosity to see one of the "forbidden" rooms, where she finds herself trapped in a closet sneaking peaks and hearing tidbits of information that don't make a whole lot of sense to her.

When playing with Roger and their gyptian friends, Lyra starts to hear stories about Gobblers that kidnap children. Not much later, she is suddenly taken away from Oxford by Mrs Coulter, a beautiful lady unknown to Lyra. She enjoys staying with Mrs Coulter in London for a while, but all the beautiful surroundings have a dark undertone. It is up to Lyra to discover the secret behind the Gobblers and save the missing children - or that's what she thinks, anyway.

There is a dark twist to the story at the end. And of course there is the rest of the series to read if you want to know what happened after the cliffhanger left by Pullman.

The book is certainly compelling and unique in it storyline. It is a children's story in that it features mainly children and Lyra, a child, is the heroine. That's not to say that many adults won't enjoy the series (many adults also read Harry Potter).

Personnally, I was not entirely swept away by the book, in spite of all the positive points above. Maybe it's because the story is meant to be told to children. For example, Lyra often has the tendency to fall asleep, which I found somewhat annoying and thought could have been edited more thoughtfully. The overall tone and approach of the book did not sit well with me, but I think that's a matter of personal taste.

I would certainly recommend this book to younger readers, especially those with a passion for fantasy. As with all good stories, there are dark corners in this book, but I think that makes it stand out. Life isn't all roses, so why should books be? A good story requires danger and obstacles to overcome, and if Lyra fell asleep a little less often she might actually make a convincing heroine.

Recently released on DVD, Queer As Folk's third season continues to be a powerful and moving series. Our beloved friends and characters have moved on in their lives, and this season is a turning point for many of them. I do not want to spoil the plot for those still waiting to see this, but be prepared to see a changed Brian, a fun-loving but tougher Justin, Emmett and Ted's turmoil and a new life for the lesbian duo. Of course, this show would be incomplete without Debbie, dinner-diva. There is also a new character on the scene, young Hunter, who brings about a much-needed improvement to Michael's worrying wallflower attitude.

The season spans over the duration of a political campaign for a new mayor of Pittsburg, and the lives of all characters are directly and indirectly affected by the ex-police chief and running candidate Stockwell. Interspersed with serious themes and events are charming scenes, nightclubs, sex, drugs, love, work, school and all the other things that form part of daily life. Of course, the sex is what stands out for a lot of people, but after the first two episodes, this becomes more like background music and the camera hones in on the characters.

Certainly, the sheer abundance and exposure of sex and drugs is what makes this show edge and "out there". The producers are careful, however, to show the unglamorous aspects as well as the glamorous ones and don't view the world through rose-tinted glasses. It's realistic, it's in-your-face and it's powerful.

It's really too bad that there isn't more of it. Season 1 and 2 had at least 20 episodes, this one has only 14 - so you're getting less for your money, although the quality remains high (and the music fantastic). The box set does come with lots of extras, both for the DVD and computer. You get to see some documentaries and other surprises.

Highly recommended, but a health warning: you WILL get hooked, so try to watch this over a weekend, rather than sitting up through a week night and facing the consequences of having to go to work the next day!

My biggest fear with books "about" anything, is that they tend to lecture and preach, taking any pleasure out of the topic you might have had beforehand. Nowhere is this more true than in books about writing. The danger in reading a book about "how to" write, is that it kills any of the writer's own voice, creative spirit, and instinctual sense of rhythm and timing, by focusing only on the technical aspect of writing. I've stayed clear of those types of books, because I fear that they will only make things worse and not better. And yet, I've hungered for something that could potentially give me some good points without cramping my style.

Fortunately, Betsy Lerners "The Forest for the Trees" does just that. She indicates early on that this is not a book about style. She obviously believes, that in spite of technical faults, an author may still produce very good work. So if this book is not about style, then what is it about? We're so used to reading "how to" books that I think we've forgotten "how to" do.

This book is about what motivates writers (and editors) and gives you some insight on how the system works. Lerner talks about different kinds of writers - some rely on instinct or "natural talent", others are driven by anger, hope, or any other emotion. She encourages writers to be brave, to take a chance, but to recognize likewise if you've gone too far over the edge (it's a cliff, after all!). Lerner encourages writers to do their thing. She oozes confidence between the lines that a reader can't help but be caught up in.

Don't expect any advice on "how to" write in this book. You CAN expect a bunch of interesting anecdotes and thoughtful insights. You will understand more of the process involved in producing a manuscript and what will happen after the signing of a contract (if you're that lucky).

Informative, entertaining, succinct and beautifully written prose. I highly recommend this book to anyone who knows they want to write, but are uncertain about it. This book will give you the confidence TO DO.

I review this book with caution as it appears readers seem to either love or hate the book. Personally, I found the book fascinating. It has me looking up the true origin of any old term of phrase or symbol that I come across nowadays. It makes me think more deeply about all those symbols which we use so matter of factly that they are no longer truly symbolic. Sure, everyone has a sense of what the Nike swoosh stands for, but what about Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper"? Nobody really studies those things any more, and they have become a lost history among our society.

It is with skill, then, that Dan Brown manages to interest his readers into a topic that is almost a millenium old. He appears to have done a bunch of research for this book. Not only that, but he also put a lot of effort into making that research come to life without seeming overwhelmingly heavy or detailed in the prose. That's not an easy thing to do, and it's what I most admire about the book. You only need to pick up a bunch of academic papers to realise that "english" is not a first language when it comes to scientific debate. We rely on journalists, movie directors and authors like Dan Brown to make such laden themes with their secretive and prohibitive language digestible for the general public's enjoyment.

Rather than taking the easy route by writing a simple, straight lined story about some art historian's discovery of the symbology of the Holy Grail, Brown created a mixture of interesting characters that each play a definitive role in his murder mystery. It's a combination of an Agatha Christie novel and a fictional history book. The skill of combining those diverse elements cannot have been easy, yet Brown manages to bring it off with a simplistic flair.

In truth, his story is captivating. It starts off with a bang - a murder of a curator. The audience is carried along with the main characters, and for a good part of the book we are shrouded by the truth. If you love solving puzzles, you will be able to "beat" the character to identifying the next clue or uncovering critical bits of information by looking closely at the text (mirrors recommended).

Of course, no one is expecting a work of fiction to be entirely based on truth, but Brown has a different treatment of the age old topic of the Holy Grail and his take on it I found to be interesting.

Moreover, it has all the things a good book should have: it's engaging, easy to read in bite size chunks that should appeal to the general public, it's full of action and mystery, and it's well researched, thus has a ring of truth to it. I feel I must "defend" this book because I enjoyed every minute of reading it even though that opinion is probably not in vogue with "serious" readers.

I'm amazed at how professional reviewers continue to compare Jordan's work with that of Tolkien. Tolkien's work was long and detailed (loved by some, not by others). Jordans, on the other hand is a tedious waste of paper. Had he disciplined himself to a trilogy, his work might have been tolerable. Unfortunately, he didn't know when to stop. One might have thought that an ex-military man would have had more discipline and foresight.

The problem with this series is not that it's long, but that it becomes unoriginal and drawn out. This book stinks of a marketing ploy. The same characters are rehashed in a seemingly never-ending tale.

Even half-way in (at which point I must admit I just gave up - only the second time in my life), Jordan had still not moved the plot along. He juggles so many characters and situations, that it takes him about 100 pages to catch up with each "group" of characters, doing exactly ... nothing.

It's not really necessary to have so many characters in what ought to be a simple fantasy series. I wonder if Jordan himself is able to keep up with them all. I would not be surprised if he hasn't, as it would explain a lot about the length of this book, and the entire series.

It seems to me that Jordan himself knows no end to the story. If he's bored his readers then surely he's bored himself nearly to death.

Don't waste your time.
.

I'm amazed at how professional reviewers continue to compare Jordan's work with that of Tolkien. Tolkien's work was long and detailed (loved by some, not by others). Jordans, on the other hand is a tedious waste of paper. Had he disciplined himself to a trilogy, his work might have been tolerable. Unfortunately, he didn't know when to stop. One might have thought that an ex-military man would have had more discipline and foresight.

The problem with this series is not that it's long, but that it becomes unoriginal and drawn out. This book stinks of a marketing ploy. The same characters are rehashed in a seemingly never-ending tale.

Even half-way in (at which point I must admit I just gave up - only the second time in my life), Jordan had still not moved the plot along. He juggles so many characters and situations, that it takes him about 100 pages to catch up with each "group" of characters, doing exactly ... nothing.

It's not really necessary to have so many characters in what ought to be a simple fantasy series. I wonder if Jordan himself is able to keep up with them all. I would not be surprised if he hasn't, as it would explain a lot about the length of this book, and the entire series.

It seems to me that Jordan himself knows no end to the story. If he's bored his readers then surely he's bored himself nearly to death.

Don't waste your time.
.

"Ecological Economics" is a recent publication written by H.E. Daly and J. Farley. The former is a well-known academic in the field of ecological economics. Although it is tempting to state that the book would make an excellent textbook for undergraduate students, or even high school students with an interest in economics and the environment, the authors note that the it is not really a textbook because it is not "a presentation of accepted concepts and propositions of a well-defined academic discipline". Indeed, the authors do not claim that ecological economics is a discipline in its own right, but rather a transdiscipline. In other words, ecological economics is a move away from the traditional concepts that have become enshrined in neoclassical economics, but still "under construction". This means that the contents of the book remain under debate in current economic thought, and any follow up texts may differ significantly from this all-encompassing attempt to introduce us to the transdisciplinary field of ecological economics.

The text may thus be inappropriate for readers who do not already possess an understanding of the history of economic thought and knowledge of the problems with the underlying assumptions and failures of existing economic models. Nevertheless, the text is simple enough to be understood by newcomers to the field as it contains the principles on which neoclassical economics is based, covering microeconomics, macroeconomics, international trade and policy. What is different in this book is that all aspects of economics are viewed from the point of our natural environment. In fact, an extensive section on "the containing and sustaining ecosystem" precedes the more traditional topics mentioned above.

The last portion of the book outlines that the text focuses on three issues: the allocation of resources, the distribution of income and the scale of the economy relative to the ecosystem. In particular, the latter is emphasized. In part six, the book comes to the conclusion that three policy actions are required. They include that a quantitative limit be set to reflect sustainable scale, deciding on ownership of scarce resources, and finally, after political decisions have been made, trading and efficient market allocation.

The guiding viewpoint of the authors is heavily focused on policy. The book does cover some of the new thinking and models of ecological economics, such as the laws of thermodynamics, Pigouvian taxes, stock-flow and fund-service resources by Georgescu-Roegen, and other established theories in ecological economics. What is lacking is an attempt to remodel some of the neoclassical work, but we can forgive the authors this gap since the book is a not meant to be a theoretical academic paper. However, academics in this field may consequently find that they disagree with large portions of the text.

A strength of the book is its inclusion of references to well-known papers in the field, which makes it a very useful text for graduate students in the field. In addition, the layout is handy. It contains excellent tables and excerpts that summarize important concepts and complex issues. The text is interspersed with "Think about it!" questions, that force the students to apply the recently reviewed concept to an alternative situation, and helps them to develop a deeper understanding of the implications. At the end of each chapter, there is a "Big Ideas to Remember" section, which outlines key phrases and concepts that students need to know. Each section of the book, furthermore, contains a brief summary. This is not so much a review of the section as a reminder of what is really being said and what the author's viewpoints are. Some of the chapters that contain more complex ideas also have brief summaries.

In general, this book should be applauded for an excellent effort to cover the key ideas current in ecological economics. However, there are gaps and weaknesses in the text, such as the fact that only a few ecological economics theories are covered. In a way, the book attempts to dictate what we should do or think, rather than presenting students with a more overall, open-minded presentation of ideas in the field. I would have preferred the book to encourage more thought-provoking alternatives to some of the solutions presented.

I don't even know where to start. For starters, more than half the content of this book was part of Ellen's stand-up routine in her new Ellen DeGeneres show.

Unfortunately.
Or maybe fortunately.
I don't know which.

When Ellen did the stand up, the material was hilarious. When I read the book, it was anything but funny. In fact, it was rather annoying, not only because the material wasn't fresh anymore, but also because I continued to read the book thinking that at some point it was going to be funny ... At least it goes to show that stand-up is more than just words, it's about the delivery, and that Ellen is a great comedienne.

As can be expected of any comedian/nne, the material covered has some poignant insights. Such as, when you see someone you haven't seen for a long time, should you hug, kiss or shake hands with them? Or, how the dentist receptionist tries to book your next appointment six months in advance, and asking whether the time will work for you. And the consistent theme about flossing that comes up here and there is quite funny, but not enough to make me laugh out loud.

Less interesting were "the serious chapter", "the controversial chapter" and "the last chapter" and "the bonus chapter" where you get free words, apparently (well, no, they're not free - I had to pay for the book and some poor tree had to be chopped for you to print words on it). It feels like Ellen and her editor sat down and said, you know, what you really need is a serious chapter, and that Ellen failed to come up with anything good (it's less than a page, not funny and not serious either).

And, apparently, Ellen thinks living in prison would be great. I don't follow her line of thinking and don't think she's really thought it through herself.

All in all, this book cost me less than 2 hours to read, and I'm not sorry for it. Anything longer would have felt like a waste of time. And although Ellen obviously has lots of talent for stand-up comedy, she also has no talent for writing.

Distinctly average.

Before I read this book (for a post-grad degree, why else would you read this), I had no idea that the traditional bell curve in statistics is seriously flawed. This book brought home to me that the supposed be-all and end-all, seemingly untouchable subject of statistics is actually not as powerful as statisticians would have us ignorant innocents believe.

Thanks to the age of the computer, statistics has undergone a major revolution in recent decades, and new theories have continued to be developed on how to read and interpret data, and make inferences and conclusions about significant differences.

The book, thankfully, is easy to read and understand, unlike some uncomprehensible texts that I've plowed through in the past, which only served to confuse me further. "Fundamentals", on the other hand, provides the reader with a sound revising of the basic underlying principles of statistics, the assumptions people have been making for centuries and step-by-step addresses why those assumptions can be flawed in certain circumstances.

The text takes you through easy to understand examples of each applied statistical method and, in addition, offers a basic overview at the end of each chapter of the key points raised (for a quick review just before class, or in case you forgot some previous points).

The book covers a whole host of different statistical methods and in part 2, some alternative strategies of dealing with traditional problems.

All in all, enlightening and fills you with the smug satisfactory feeling of having "one-up" on the statisticians by understanding what it's really all about.