[book: Devices and Desires] is one of those books that, despite having turned the last page and set it down, I still don't quite understand. That is not to say that the plot was convoluted or hard to follow; it was reasonably straightforward despite Parker's ubiquitous references to just how much research he did for the book and, believe me, he did quite a bit. I just did not understand why Parker felt the need to write it. There was no soul to the book, no inner life. It felt as though Parker set out to paint a masterpiece and, with the care of one of his own engineers, made sure that every brush stroke was in the exact place, every person perfectly proportioned, and still produced nothing more than a highly detailed rendering of reality. I was waiting for the characters to leap off the page and inspire me with something, but they just sat there.
Still, it was an interesting read from a technical standpoint, though I don't think I would recommend it to anyone with better things to do.