"How We'll Live on Mars" by Stephen L. Petranek

 

Publisher: TED Books
Copyright: 2015
ISBN: 9781476784762

This book is extremely informative and provided the source material for the docu-drama "Mars" which gives a fictional review of what might be encountered by astronauts going to the Red planet, interspersed with an examination of the current rather sad state of the space program.

Mr. Petranek begins with a basic overview of the space program from its impetus to approximately the 1980s. He deals a fair bit of time with Werner von Braun’s proposal “Das Marsprojekt” for missions to Mars that he began promoting in 1948 (I’ll be looking for a copy of this book as it sounds fascinating). After this he goes on to outline a very logical and in my opinion workable method of how we might actually make it there, and  why we should go.

A portion of the main narrative revolves around the work of Elon Musk and his Space Exploration Corporation aka SpaceX, but Mr. Petranek also looks into the various big questions such as will a small group of people be able to get along with each other, is anybody willing to pay for the project, the safety of the project, effects of prolonged exposure to micro-gravity, medical issues that might come about, and lastly the radiation the astronauts will be exposed to.

He then goes on to look at the economics of the project, the factors that will have to be taken into account if astronauts actually want to live on Mars, terra-forming, and other topics.

The only thing in this book that I found detracted from the overall plan is that it was written in 2015, and in the 6 years since then a number of major advances have been made, so it is hoped that the author will consider writing an updated second edition.

"The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton (1942-2008)

 

Publisher: Dell
Copyright: 1969

    The Andromeda Strain is a book I haven't read for many decades, but I can distinctly remember the first time I read it when I was in junior high school (about 1973 or so), and poring over maps of Nevada to see if a place like Wildfire was on them. The ultimate test of an author is if they can make you believe that the story they are presenting is true, and Mr. Crichton definitely does that with this novel. This puts it in the techno-thriller genre, but most people likely consider it to be hard science fiction.

    The story for those of you who have never heard of it revolves around a satellite that returns to earth a couple of days after being launched, bearing an organism that kills almost all the people in a small Arizona town. There are only two survivors an old man and a 2 month-old baby. The satellite and the survivors are taken to a secret laboratory in Nevada so a top team of scientists can determine what happened. The way this books is presented is in the form of a report that describes the events as they happened over a 4-day period.

    A movie was made of this book in 1971 directed by Robert Wise, and starring Arthur Hill, James Olson, David Wayne, and Kate Reid and it is a movie you must see if you like quality science fiction that deals with an actual story rather than relying on special effects. There was also a four episode mini-series made of it in 2008, however I haven't seen it.

    A fantastic story, highly recommended.

"Time Travel" by James Gleick

 

Publisher: Pantheon Books
Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 9780307908797

    This was an extremely interesting book to read, as it began with an examination of the phenomena created by H. G. Wells when in wrote "The Time Machine" in 1895, and then went on to look at how it has been treated in other stories. Mr. Gleick also reviews the science behind time travel, as well as the philosophy of it as well.

    To say that the concept of time travel is a staple of science fiction as some authors have said is, I believe, an exaggeration as Wells was the originator of the concept, and science fiction itself existed for a considerable time before he came on the scene, even though it went by other names. Mr. Gleick looks at a number of different topics related to time travel such as: the concept of time itself, paradoxes, how time flows, etc.

    Mr. Gleick's research on this topic was extensive, and I am looking forward to reading some of his other books, as if they are even half as good as this one they should be well worth it.

"Limitless" by Alan Glynn

 

Publisher: Picador
Copyright: 2001 (Originally published as "The Dark Fields"
ISBN: 9780312428877

I was drawn to this book after watching the 2011 movie (Bradley Cooper, Abbe Cornish, Robert De Niro) by the same name, and while the movie is quite different in some aspects I was quite impressed Hollywood didn't mess it up too bad. The book is much darker than the movie, but to a certain point this is to be expected considering the topic. The ending of the book is not what I expected, and this was the biggest change that was made. The movie in contrast to the book has a very positive / uplifting conclusion.

The story tells a tale of a down and out writer (Eddie), who is introduced to a mind enhancing drug by his former brother-in-law (Vernon), and is hooked after just one pill. The drug works absolute wonders with his memory, research skills, work ethics, he doesn’t have to sleep or eat as much, you name it. But when Vernon is killed, Eddie has in his hands the only supply of the drug that exists, and he uses it to his advantage..

Unfortunately this drug is also extremely addictive, and has some very detrimental side effects such as blackout, migraines, and violent outbursts, and when you try to stop taking it the withdrawal effects can kill you.

An excellent book, highly recommended. But watch the movie too so you can enjoy the differences.

"The Art of Taking It Easy: How To Cope With Bears, Traffic, and the Rest of Life's Stressors" by Dr. Brian King

 

Publisher: Apollo Publishers
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9781948062466

This is a very interesting book to read, and Dr. King's sense of humour is great. His methods for relieving stress are easy to follow, and make so much sense that I'm quite surprised a book of this sort didn't come out many years ago. His method of expressing his ideas is straight forward, and the stories he tells to illustrate the concepts are excellent. He does who into some detail about how the brain works, and some might anticipate this would be a little hard to understand, however he does it in such a way that it is easy to comprehend.

Here's hoping that he continues writing books of this kind, and while I've never seen him perform I am sure his stage show would be extremely entertaining.

Highly recommended.

"Deception Point" by Dan Brown

 

Publisher: Pocket Books

Copyright: 2001

ISBN: 9781416524809

I reviewed Mr. Brown’s book Digital Fortress a couple of weeks ago, and he is back with another great story that will keep you turning the pages. This time he takes on the entire political structure of the US Government, and it’s relationship with NASA and a number of other factors. It is an election year, and the president is  vying for a second term in office. His opponent is a ruthless senator who will stop at nothing to ensure he is elected instead, no matter what it costs.

The story revolves around the locating of a meteorite that was determined to have fell to the Earth in the early 1700s, and has been buried in the Arctic ice ever since. A team of civilian personnel are sent to investigate the meteorite, and discover some absolutely startling information. What this information is I’m not going to tell you, but if it is true then the whole world will be changed.

Once again the lead character in this novel (as in Digital Fortress) is female, which definitely adds (in my humble opinion) to the overall story as these types of novels have been dominated from the beginning by males. In many cases these males were also portrayed as essentially being super-humans, with a few minor flaws which makes them almost laughable in many cases.

Another great story, looking forward to the next book.

"Relax, Dammit: A User's Guide to the Age of Anxiety" by Timothy Caulfield.

Publisher: Allen Lane

Copyright: 2020

ISBN: 9780735236325

This book takes the reader on an interesting journey though a single day, and highlights the myriad of different things that humans (yes, you!) typically worry about during that time, in the order you normally will encounter them. Most of these things were ones I'd personally never given any thought to, but upon reading about it realized that they are part of my life as well (except for the coffee part).

The book is split into three main sections Morning, Afternoon & Evening, and within each of these Dr. Caulfield examines the various things that are part of our lives. There are of course certain things that are present in all areas, such as our fascination and slavery to our cell phones, but like he says "Relax, Dammit!" Each of the topics he surveys are very informative, and for the most part addressed from a rather unique point of view, which is both enlightening, and at times quite humorous.

I don't want to spoil the read for you, but as a bit of a teaser he examines such things as waking up, weighing yourself, vitamins, parking, hand washing (something we are, or should be quite aware of in today's world), public toilet seats, coffee (yuck!), stand-up desks, soap, water drinking, the ubiquitous five-second rule, napping, hugging, television, and much more.

Dr. Timothy Caulfield is the Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, as well as a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton. He has written a two other books "The Curefor Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness, and Happiness" and  "The Science of Celebrity ... or is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?"

An excellent read that will definitely open your eyes. Highly recommended. If you ever get a chance to hear Dr. Caulfield speak, take the time out of your busy schedule and do so. Also don't forget to Relax!

"Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown

 

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Copyright: 1998.

ISBN: 9780312263126

This is the second book of Dan Brown’s that I’ve read (I read The Da Vinci Code first, not realising that it was the second book in a series). This story however is a stand-alone novel that concerns the American National Security Agency (NSA), and its cryptographic division who have a sophisticated computer program that can decode anything in a matter of minutes, until it comes across a code written by a former employee.

A high level cryptographer in the NSA is called in to solve the riddle of this new code when the agency is essentially held hostage by a code system that threatens to put put them out of business, and ensure 100% privacy to everyone in the world - something no security agency would want.

Unlike numerous thriller novels there isn’t tonnes of violence, with everybody armed to the teeth, etc. This novel is could easily be considered a classic as it requires the reader to think, and understand rather than just experience the visceral pleasure.

It is great to see the emergence of strong female characters in Brown's books, as the spy/thriller genre has been centred almost solely on males for decades. An excellent novel, looking forward to reading more of his work.