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Very disappointing read so far. Clings without pause to philosophy and theology in order to half-heartedly answer practical political problems.

So far so bad

Not really a fan of the “rambling about innermost desires” genre, but here the innermost desires are expounded upon with such intense detail that I’m more than able to enjoy this book.

Not only a great book about cosmology (though obviously outdated in content) but a fascinating work of science history

Brilliant in ways I cannot yet characterize — overall I am *loving* this story

I very much would like to "reinject the real and the referential" (p. 22) wherever Baudrillard misuses scientific terminology. "Hyperreality" as a concept obviously invokes hyperreal numbers, yet it is unclear to me whether Baudrillard understands anything about mathematics or science despite many references to magnetism, atomic orbitals, and DNA transcription, among other physical phenomena. Maybe that's the point.

What a breathtaking prologue…

Overall this is a ridiculous geopolitical scenario propped up by thorough and refined journalism. Most of the aesthetic decisions made by Jacobsen to embellish her concocted “scenario” are artistically null and void. It’s fun to head-canon Trump or Biden as the unnamed president in this story, though.

This is undoubtedly one of the books ever written about nuclear warfare

Enchanting prose that for better or worse is unlike anything I’ve read before

Koestler unleashes an epic assault upon the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, the “twin peaks” whose demands for logic and stability would ultimately usurp any evidence in favor of a heliocentric universe, if not, at the very least, the mere existence of elliptical orbits, which defiled the sanctified spheres and perfect circles. How appropriate that conservatives today still cling to Plato and Aristotle…

Less a history, so far, than an opining on Greek development of a dynamic universe, transforming God as planet into God and planets. Koestler’s own thoughts are injected into the arguments he constructs. Nonetheless, I am really enjoying this read, despite some reservations

A comprehensive if not underwhelming account of Stalin, through the lens of his intellectual output. Stalin did not keep journals but was a prolific writer on Marxism, Lenin’s philosophy, and communist thought, who shaped the direction of the Soviet politiburo for over three decades.

While the construction of the narrative is somewhat avant-garde, I’m finally understanding how to read the book and really enjoying the narrative. Thoughtful, creative, and ultimately brilliant mix of philosophy, science, and fable.

Very informative so far