As the world breath a sigh of relief following the inauguration of Barack Obama as the US president elect, I too feel that a heavy weight of dread has been lifted. It appears that Americans have decreed that they no longer wished to be led by division, ignorance and fear, choosing instead a message of change, hope and rationality. As a Canadian, I am heartily glad that our powerful neighbors are apparently finally moving away from the wasteful insanity of the last eight years.
The Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars & Blue Mars) is one of the most mind-expanding reading experiences I’ve ever had. It is a rich, sweeping, epic chronicle of the colonization of Mars as well as the rest of the solar system; the power humans have to transform their own environment and how that environment can transform humanity as well; the long-term impact of extending human lifespan by centuries and the catastrophic consequences of rising sea levels on Earth. But most of all, it is a roadmap to building a better civilization free from the poisons of the past.
You will never find a funnier, more densely informative, action-packed adventure about money, slavery, the birth of science and the love life of Isaac Newton.
Action , humour , great characters , outstanding attention to details - this thrilling movie about naval warfare in the Napoleonic Wars is also faithful to the spirit, if not the letter, of Patrick O’Brian magnificent historical novels.
A rare mix of literature, wit, history and high adventure, the Aubrey/Maturin novels (better known for "Master and Commander", the first novel and the name of the 2003 movie adaptation) has been by far one of my favourite reading experience and a consistent way to lift my (occasionally) sagging spirits.
In the grand tradition of “What If” stories, the early Marvel universe is translated into 17th century costumes and historical context. Through Neil Gaiman’s magic, Marvel’s classic Silver Age characters are thus reborn anew into something completely different and yet, somehow, exhilaratingly the same.
Wednesday 20 December 2006
:: Posted in: Web Sites
For years, I’ve been looking for a simple way to visualise the rise and fall of humanity’s empires, in sequence, on a world map. This is exactly what MapsOfWar.com has managed to accomplish!
These epic western novels from the screenwriter of Terms of Endearment and Brokeback Mountain are both high literature and great entertainment – a must read for anyone who enjoy humor, drama and the study of human nature.
Through these two greatly entertaining novels, McMurtry chronicles the adventures of Gus McRay and Woodrow Call before the events described in Lonesome Dove. We follow their progression from their first hapless missions as junior Texas Rangers up to their retirement from rangering as seasoned and highly-effective veterans of a grueling series of Indian wars.
During World War II, the Greek island of Cephalonia is occupied by the Italian and German armies. Between brave acts of defiance from the island’s feisty population, the Italian’s ambivalence towards their part in this senseless war and the cold brutality of the Nazis, a beautiful but tragic love blooms between Pelagia, the Island’s self-taught doctor and Captain Corelli, an irreverent Italian officer who’d rather make music than war.
Shimmering Waters
