Šikmý kostel 2: románová kronika ztraceného města
Karin Lednická
It was stronger, I think, in describing the “ordinary misery of the miners” than it was in describing the concentration camps, which is just a terribly difficult subject and will always be weaker, more artificial, in competition with the memories of memoirs. Not bad, maybe it’s also just an area where I’ve read too much to judge fairly. The day-to-day, national, political and economic pressures and how the relationships and characters‘ natures change worked much better. It’s just that the characters have grown so much in feeling that they’re becoming a bit more formulaic.
Overall, it’s still a great success in describing an under-exposed piece of history and landscape, it just meandered a bit too much for me. And I’d actually be most curious to see how Karin Lednicka would be able to write about the 90s or the present, I think that would be excellent.
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
Cal Newport
Solid practical tips are interspersed with historical excursions that are very anecdotal and of little value. But it is an enjoyable and quick read, with a few ideas on how to work more slowly and meaningfully. It’s just hard to decide at what age one should actually read it to get any substantial value out of it. Maybe at the beginning of college, maybe after the first burnout.
The econocracy: The perils of leaving economics to the experts
Joe Earle, Cahal Moran, Zach Ward-Perkins
Reflected for half a year on „how should I review this?“ and came up with a very simple message in the end.
Yes, the economists (and anybody else) should not have complete control over discourse. At the same time, the economists that the book is criticising the most, are a fading kind; the whole study of economics has moved far beyond the basic clichés of the 1930s, while the book is still mostly kinda infatuated with these struggles.
In the end, it is easy to agree with most of the points in the book, but there is hardly any surprise and not much to learn here.
Judge Dredd: Sebrané soudní spisy 4
John Wagner
Nearly half the book is taken up by the hunt for Judge Child – spanning the entire galaxy, packed with completely bonkers scenes and ideas, a few solid moments, and an unexpectedly decent payoff. The rest is mostly short stories, sometimes more so gags, but the playfully dystopian Mega-City is so entertaining that it basically becomes the main thing or a character of the book.
A great and easy read and, at the same time, a significant chapter in comic book history. Dredd is that satirical, over-the-top ultra-fascist, whose morality aligns exactly with the law – sometimes to comically dumb extremes, sometimes almost uncomfortably annoying. And yet, within the logic of his character, he can still surprise you by doing something that actually makes sense. That’s what keeps it readable even today – it’s never just mindless, predictable routine.
Surveillance Valley: The Rise of the Military-Digital Complex
Yasha Levine
Absolute bombshell. If you’ve been following the topic of surveillance and the ties between digital corporations and the defense sector, a lot of this won’t be entirely new to you – but it’s well-written and well-presented.And then it really starts hitting hard, including a few new and well-substantiated revelations, especially regarding Tor and Signal. Highly, highly recommended.
James Lovegrove
The problem with Lovegrove’s Sherlock is that he’s great at building (already well-worn) relationships, plays with all the Sherlockian clichés we love (stretching them so far they’re clearly a joke), and juggles atmosphere and easter eggs brilliantly. But in one crucial aspect, he doesn’t just fail – he doesn’t even try: building any kind of investigation.And Gods of War takes it even further – there’s practically no investigation at all. Everything just kind of flows, Watson muses a bit, then Sherlock disappears, returns with the case completely solved, throws in one long action sequence, and that’s it. It openly doesn’t aim to be highbrow or particularly clever – but even the bare minimum is missing here.