Saturday, August 17, 2002

Project Orion, The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship, by George Dyson


"When I drove George to school this morning I told him about the space-ship, " my stepmother reported..."He was very excited, asked immediately which planet you will send it to, and whether there would be a little seat right next to you for him to come along."

This is a marvelous book - richly detailed with information on a once secret plan to build fabulous spaceships that were powered by atomic bombs. The author is the son of Freeman Dyson, one of the scientists who worked on the project. His interviews with many of the principals makes this a fantastic record.



But, as the quote above shows, it is a very poignant memoir. Filled with a child's memory and wonder, as well as scraps of letters Dyson senior wrote home to England. A terrific story, and a true one, that leaves me thinking... if only they had been able to do this.....

Tuesday, August 13, 2002

The Last Roundup, by Christine Golden
Well - a decent Trek book - Golden has done her share. This is familiar territory, fitting
into the movie-era, just before "Generations". Kirk's nephews convince him to join a colony
they are heading. Bad guys double-cross, Kirk and his friends save the day. An okay story
but pallid compared to Bujold, or Orson Scott Card's new "Shadow" series (I'm re-reading Shadow of the
Hegemon, in anticipation of the imminent release of the next entry. Oh, and I've got a good book coming
by Kreeft, about Pascal (the philosopher/scientist/theologian, not the language.).