aaronj21's Reviews (912)

This book, which reads like many other post-apocalyptic novels, is mainly interesting for the fact it was published in 1912 (when such fiction was much more scarce) and for the fact that it’s from Jack London.

The story follows an old man, one of the remaining few who remember the world before it collapsed in the wake of a terrifying plague, as he desperately, fruitlessly tries to educate the next generation. This generational, ideological, conflict, rather than simply the challenge of survival, was also an interesting one. There’s something relatable and poignant about watching a man try to describe a different world, a wholly distinct and vanished age, to people who have no frame of reference for understanding it. The youngsters, our protagonists’ grandsons, think he’s full of nonsense and are only interested in hearing about earlier civilization insofar as it may assist them in their current, simplified lives, “I’m going to get Granser to remember this here gunpowder stuff,” Edwin said softly, “And then I’ll have you all on the run.”

Ultimately this was a pleasant, if too brief, read.

Only interesting as a historical artifact really, this book was sickeningly melodramatic; the terribly antisemitic caricature was awful too.

This book was very well written with compelling world building, I will be reading more by this author.

Absolutely delightful! Trazyn is a fantastic character and Orikan is a perfect foil / rival. This book was possibly one of the best Warhammer 40k books I've ever read.

Excellent and heart breaking.

This fascinating book explores the interplay of geology and biology on earth. From the very formation of the planet to well into the future, the author makes a compelling case, in accessible and descriptive prose, for the interconnectedness of geologic processes and the evolution of life. While the author's background as a mineralogist does make this book especially compelling for people interested in the broad strokes of geology and earth history, there is something in here for any reader willing to pick it up.

An interesting translation of these famous poems from an insightful and erudite translator. An introduction and notes beginning each chapter explain the various poems context and the translation choices the author makes, offering an added layer of depth. I listened to part of this as an audiobook narrated by the author, Jackson Crawford, and found his delivery engaging and nuanced. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book as anyone’s first foray into Norse mythology, it is written in an easily accessible style that would be useful for beginners.

This book was competent, engaging, and possessed of a good sense of pacing; it also shows off the author’s major strengths in world building, character relationships, and an intuitive feel for drama. This book was a welcome palate cleanser after the relatively disappointing second season of the Netflix adaptation and serves to highlight the bizarre screenwriting choices that plagued it.

Everything you could want from a pop science book! Engaging, informative, and narratively written, this book breathes life into a subject that sometimes feels as if it’s been done to death in media, namely the fascinating science behind dinosaurs and their eventual extinction