In both a theoretically detailed, and eminently readable book, Rogers explains how innovations spread and adopted across diverse populations. Critical reading for anybody interested in why some technologies succeed, and others fail, and how new systems for communication, energy, etc, can be adopted.

Firestone's book is balanced, empathic and meticulously researched, so why the three stars? While I appreciate the deep historical grounding, and he examination of various hadithic traditions, the book fails to give a sense of what it is like to be a member of this dynamic, complex, conflicted religion. Modern Islam faces grand challenges in reconciling divinely inspired scripture with a pluralistic world, or integrating jihad (literally "the struggle", and not necessarily a military one) into ordinary life, and this book doesn't shed much light on those major problems. Even if such a task is beyond the scope of this book, I don't have a sense of what is essential about Islam. 90% of Judaism can be summed up in the story of Abraham and Isaac and the Exodus. I don't know what narratives are similarly grounding for Muslims.

Firestone is assiduously neutral, and obviously cares deeply about religion, but sometimes failing to express an opinion can be as bad as expressing the wrong one.

It's "The Prince!" The immortal classic of statecraft, Machiavelli might not tell you exactly what to do, but he will tell you precisely what not to do, if you wish to hold power and rule wisely. A fun drinking game is reading the newspaper, seeing where world leaders fail to follow Machiavelli's advice, and taking a shot when it leads to disaster. You may wish to call the hospital first.

Unlike fellow Baen superstar John Ringo, David Weber is fundamentally a nice person, and if he isn't the most adept writer, he's good enough for the beach. The Dahak setting plays to the strengths of Weber's 'war of spreadsheets' style, with truly gonzo weapons (That's no moon, that's a battlestation! And there are thousands of them!) In this book, the action calms down as a plot to destroy the reborn Empire of Man strands the heirs of Empire on a planet ruled by anti-technology fundamentalists. To get back, these smart, decent, (and superhuman) kids will have to launch a holy crusade. Pike and musket battles are interspersed with some fun intrigue, but where this book shines is the simple decency of all the main characters. Reading it, you almost believe that if we just worked together, and got along, we could fix the problems of this planet. Religious fundamentalists are depicted as credulous, ambitious, evil fools, and that's just fine by me.

Somewhere between David Drake and John Ringo (oh, John Ringo, no!) on the scale of mediocre mil-SF writers lies Chris Bunch. The Last Legion is an eminently forgettable book about two to five (see, I've forgotten already) young men and women who join up with a military unit that is pretty much exactly like an American Air Cavalry Division, circa Vietnam, except that they're stuck at the ass end of the galaxy defending an exploitative and racist plutocracy. That, and the collapse of the galactic empire, and immanent invasion by hostile aliens and expansionist warlords doesn't seem to matter much, as our protagonists gripe their way through bootcamp, beat up armed muggers, take on 10 times their number in firefights, and sleep with improbably well-endowed young women. I'd call the combat sequences awkward and incoherent, but then I wouldn't know how to describe the sex scenes. The whole book reads like a pastiche of Starship Trooper pastiches. It's not even so bad it's good, just thoroughly dull. At least I don't get the sense that the author was typing one-handed at any point.

This book is a tour de force of psychological analysis and literary criticism. In it, Dr. Shay blends the Illiad with the heartbreaking words of veterans to develop a theory of post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is caused by a breakdown in themis, the internal sense of "what is right" that allows people to belong to an ordered society. Confronted by the betrayal of their superiors, the deception of the enemy, grief at the deaths of close friends, the privations of the battlefield, and finally the corrosive rage of the berserker state, many soldiers lost an essential part of their humanity. By drawing on both classical literature, and his professional knowledge of the challenges that returning veterans face, Dr. Shay paints a detailed portrait of the human cost of war.

Literary non-fiction is the most self-indulgent of all styles of literature. Really, does anybody care about some writer's (lesbian) lovelife, vacations, or taste in art? Terry Castle redeems the inherent self-indulgence of the genre, but only just. She actually has interesting taste in music, drops literary references in a way that makes the reader feel more cultured, and the lesbian-ness of the bad relationships makes them a little more enjoyable. The wordcrafting is good, and occasionally sparkling, and what the hell, everybody like lesbians.

((I only mention lesbians, because that's about the frequency at which Terry Castle mentions her sexuality))

,A hardboiled sci-fi mystery, Gun keeps it moving fast and light, choosing to play with references to Raymond Chandler and Philip K Dick rather than the deep implications of its 'too-true-too-be-strange' setting. Not a great book, but it kept me interested to the end, which is enough.