Alex Shrugged > Recent Status Updates

I read this novella, but I think I need to read it again. I know the author and I want to be fair. Currently I'm thinking three stars. I told him that if his book was crap that I'd say so. I did like it at first read. I want to be sure I am not being influenced by knowing the author.

Although this book seems Christian-oriented, and the author seems to be a Christian, the author is NOT trying to suggest a Christian eschatology. It is a scientific eschatology that has parallels in religion of various types, none completely in tune with science, but suggestive that it could be possible to return from death and live forever. Not in our own bodies, though.

They make a very good case for calculating how many intelligent civilizations would likely exist in the Milky Way Galaxy... 1.

The biology argument seemed repetitive, but I understand they were trying to be thorough and it was not their field. I liked the quote they used to introduce the chapter though: "Of my discipline Oswald Spencer understands, of course, not the first thing, but aside from that the book is brilliant." --typical German professor's reaction to Decline of the West.

This Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics makes more sense than the Copenhagen Interpretation, but I find it hard to visualize.

Finished chapter 5. Lots of math which I could follow, but it was tedious. About half way through I skipped trying to work out the math, took his word for it and my comprehension did not suffer. On to chapter 6 The Anthropic Principles in Classic Cosmology. Ugg! More math. Looks like calculus for sure. I'll see if I can follow along. (Unlikely.)

Reading a couple other books from Barrow made reading Chapters 3 & 4 here a lot easier to absorb.

I've completed the first two chapters. It is an excellent source on science history concerning design arguments and the anthropic cosmological principle. It is going to be slow-going though. This is really dense material.

Note: Normally I don't go into horror although I will occasionally indulge in zombie stories. I am only reading this book because it was a recommendation from the science fiction and fantasy book club. I have not been impressed by their recommendations for the last year or so, but I will try this one and let you know.

Note: I used to work with Jack Spirko, the man who wrote the foreword to this book. Mark Shepard might know me, but only by name. If we walked past each other on the sidewalk, I seriously doubt we would even recognize each other.

I laughed when the author who is clearly not religious & was trying to not evoke God as the Prime Mover nevertheless offered a secular Design Argument. He said something like, "We don't know yet how this works, but I am confident there is a solution" meaning a solution other than God. And why would he be confident of that? No reason other than he sees design & order all around him and it must have happened somehow.

Good information, but it is a little over produced. It has background music and that is distracting.

This novel introduces the recurring characters Christopher Donatti and Terry nee Donatti.

I love time travel science fiction. Off to a good start on this one. Reminds me somewhat of "Just One Damned Thing After Another" by Jodi Taylor... just the first part.

Wow! Really exciting. If this keeps up this book is going to get 5 stars.

Good read. But she missed the point of why her father (in rehab) dug a hole one day and filled it in the next day to get over his addiction. It was NOT to build character. It was to prove that one is willing to do ANYTHING... even something that seems totally POINTLESS in order to get clean and sober. If not willing... you're dead. You just don't know it yet.

Despite the sexy cover, this seems to be a very tame young teen romance. It is written for a young audience and reasonably well done that it should keep my interest.

Great stuff. Very detailed history.

This book is in the Alex Delaware universe, and mentions him occasionally. The main character was a student of his and is now a psychologist embroiled in a murder case where she might be the main suspect. She didn't do it, but her only chance of getting free of this is to solve the case herself.

This is my second reading and frankly, it's tedious. Most of the main treads of the original series have already been settled, although not the main thread. This book is covering the economic aftermath of the war and eventually leading to a whole new reason to continue reading the series, but this book is not helping in that goal.

So far, so good.

This is mostly character development. This is the beginning of a very long and complex series. Loving it, though.