Review: The Time Machine ~ by H. G Wells

 

Review by John for The Time Machine ~ by H. G. Wells (1895)

An old science fiction classic that still lives up to its reputation; a delightful read and a trend-setter that was published 100 years before anyone ever dreamt up “steampunk”.

About:    A gentleman inventor lectures his dinner guests about the “fourth dimension”, saying that in addition to length, breadth and height, everything also has longevity. He tells them that he had become frustrated that while things can be moved freely in three dimensions, there seemed to be no free movement in the fourth; so he set out to build a machine that would allow objects to move backwards or forwards in time. He goes on to demonstrate a table-top version of the machine and tells them that he is close to completing a full-scale version that would be capable of transporting a person through time.

The skeptical guests return a week later, and, finding that the inventor is not there, start dinner without him. Presently he turns up, bedraggled, limping and starving hungry, and proceeds to tell his disbelieving audience a fabulous tale of his travel into the far future.

The Time Traveller (as he is called in the story) has ventured 800,000 years into the future, where he finds a gorgeous garden-like world inhabited by the Eloi - small, frail humans who seem to be lacking in intelligence, curiosity and motivation. They spend their days playing and eating the plentiful fruit that grows all around them. He eventually theorizes that having overcome the challenges of nature, the defining characteristics of humans that helped them to advance were no longer necessary, and through gradual evolution humanity has naturally regressed.

It turns out that he is only partially correct. He gradually becomes aware of a second race of beings that could not be more different than the Eloi. The ape-like Morlocks live in total darkness and only appear at nighttime, and they are truly menacing creatures. Surely they couldn’t have evolved from humans too?

As he starts to better understand this strange new world, he becomes embroiled in a struggle with the Morlocks who have stolen his time machine. He eventually manages to flee from them but is flung even further into the future, where he experiences a moribund earth suffering from a lack of sunshine. Finally he returns to his own time, where only a few hours have passed since he started his adventure.

John’s Thoughts:   It is difficult to believe that this book was written well over a hundred years ago. To write futuristic science fiction that is still fresh and relevant after all of that time is a remarkable achievement. Some of the language and wording is a little old fashioned, but the ideas, concepts and vision could well have come from a 21st century writer. Which is actually a little ironic, given that Wells was writing about time travelling! Hmmm.

Anyhow, not only was Wells a ground-breaking novelist in the genre, but he was also a fine writer. The Time Machine is a short story of only about a hundred pages (depending on the book format), yet he has crammed so much into those pages while at the same creating a story that is very easy to read. You have to suspect that most writers today would have turned all of those ideas into a humungous bloated three-volume series. Hurray for the short story format and for talented writers who can work in that difficult mode.

So a great story that is well-written - but it is also very thought provoking. His ideas on potential human evolution and social systems might not resonate with everyone, but they are credible and do make you think; and they do make for a very neat plot. Obviously I like this book a lot; I’d rate it 4.5 stars and recommend it to just about anyone. You certainly don’t have to be science fiction buff to appreciate it – the book doesn’t dwell on scientific or technical details at all.

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US|UK|Canada. The Time Machine (enriched classics) 176 pages: Simon & Schuster (June 29, 2004)

Purchasing links are for the bottom cover copy. The edition John read, whose cover is at the top of the post and came with the arc of The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma for promotional purposes. John is currently reading this tome that was published on Tuesday of this week. It is getting some great reviews.

The Map of Time  ~ by Felix J. Palma; translated by Nick Caistor (June 28th 2011) With links to H. G. Wells, this novel is set in Victorian London and also has literary connections to The Time Machine and Dracula. It is translated from Spanish. US|UK|Canada.

Maybe The Map of Time will be John’s first 5 star? As always John will be addressing any comments around this review, so don’t forget to check to follow up box to get his reply.

This book will be included in a variety of challenges – The Steampunk Challenge, Get Steampunked! and The 42.

It’s a three day weekend coming up here for us in the US. I just love 4th of July! John being a Brit not so much. *wink*

Review: Fabulous Faces ~ by Peter A. Adamson, M.D.

Review by Shellie for Fabulous Faces: From Motivation to Transformation through Facial Plastic Surgery ~ by Peter A. Adamson M. D.

A concise, easy to read guide for any one who is considering facial plastic surgery and procedures that go beyond a monthly facial. If you are considering it, this is a helpful place to start.

Definitely not a normal read for me in recent years – I have been mired in fiction (mostly speculative). I decided to take a look at Fabulous Faces because I am an Aesthetician (a professional skin care practitioner – facials, waxing, makeup artistry) which makes me naturally interested in medical procedures and other efforts to look one’s best.

In years past, and within my skin care practices, I would come into contact with many people who would ask me questions about advanced skin resurfacing procedures and fillers and plastic surgery. I have also had the experiences of seeing many clients through their process– getting the real life before and after both visually and verbally. Most have been extremely happy with the results of their decisions. It is an exciting and scary choice, one which most people do not take lightly, so they are often looking for further information from a trusted source. This book is an example of one such example as it is written by an M.D. who specializes in facial, head, and neck plastic surgery.

The format for this accessible book includes short easy to digest chapters. It is concise, well organized, and informative, with real life questions around the feelings of people considering or wanting facial plastic surgery, as well as personal stories from men and women during their processes. The text moves from wondering, to researching options, the inevitable emotional examination, the procedure itself and, most importantly, the results. Dr. Adamson also includes a section on advance skin procedures - like deeper peels using lasers, CO2, and medical grade acids; as well as fillers and Botox.

I recommend it to anyone who is considering facial plastic surgery as a place to begin. It will help one to feel informed when speaking to a surgeon about the available options that he/she may be discussing with you. Most importantly, you’ll know more about what you can expect throughout the process, and then of course the possible results. 4 stars for this great little book written for the layman wanting to know more about facial plastic surgery and related procedures.

Peter A. Adamson M.D. is a plastic surgeon and Otolaryngologist (face, head, and neck specialist). 254 pages; Oslerwood Enterprises Inc. (November 5, 2010) US|UK|Canada.

I have received this book via the publicist in exchange for my honest opinion, which is offered here. Thank you Rebecca.

Winners ~ two of them!

 

We have two winners for the Midsummer’s Eve Giveaway Hop ~ lets congratulate them!

 

The winner for ~  The Music of Secrets ~ by David Halpin (Mar. 19, 2011) This is sci-fi/fantasy with a mysterious connection to music – set on a western island in Ireland. Kindle ~ US|UK and Smashwords.

is ~ Ellen T  ~ Yay  Ellen!

 

 

 

The winner for ~   Finders Keepers ~ by Russ Colchamiro, illustrated by Rich Koslowski (October 28th 2010)  It is a comical science based fantasy novel. US|UK|Canada.

is ~ Cheylea from The Chey Show ~ Yay Chey!

An email is being sent to our winners – Chey and Ellen. Please winners - comment on this post within 72 hours and then I will forward your contact information onto the each of the authors.

Congrats to you both!

Review: The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady ~ by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

 

Review by John for The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady ~ by Elizabeth Stuckey-French (galley/arc)

The elderly subject of a 1950s scientific experiment finally seeks revenge on the doctor that was responsible for her misfortune, in this wacky, oddball family drama.

About:  In the early 1950s Marylou Ahearn was secretly given a radioactive cocktail as part of a government study into the effects of radiation. It had some nasty effects on Marylou and her family and fifty years later she decides to seek out and take revenge on the doctor who gave her the “medicine”. She tracks him down via Google and moves to a house near to where he lives, but she has a hard time deciding how she should kill him. The old doctor is living with his daughter and her family, so she decides that as a first step she needs to get close to the family members; and that’s when it starts to get tricky.

The doctor’s family is fractured and dysfunctional to say the least. His daughter and her husband have long since drifted apart emotionally and are constantly arguing; she is being driven to distraction by her difficult family and is slowly going nuts while her husband is disappearing ever deeper into his work and his infatuation with the weather. To make matters worse their two oldest children are now on the threshold of adulthood but both have Asperger’s syndrome; one is fixated on Elvis Presley and the other spends most of his time on weird science experiments in the garden shed. The youngest child is a soccer fanatic who is desperate for her mother’s attention and love but seems to receive neither. And the old doctor? He now has Alzheimer’s and is losing his memory and his grip on reality.

Marylou slowly inveigles her way into the family with the express intention of causing them all distress, but the closer she gets to the odd bunch, the more she is attracted to them. Even the old doctor she has spent her life loathing seems more like a harmless and forgetful old buffoon. But she cannot forget her mission; he ruined her life and now it is her turn to return the favor.

John’s Thoughts:  It’s not often that you come across a warm, humorous and sometimes touching book that is all about revenge, but this one fits the bill. It feels like the author’s tongue is often firmly in her cheek as she pokes gently (and sometimes not quite so gently) at life in modern America, examining some of the craziness in our society and some oddball family dynamics. But what ultimately shines through is people’s need for positive personal relationships and the strength of family ties.

At the end everything came together almost too neatly, but this was a fun, funny and easy read. I’d rate it 3.5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes novels about wacky family or personal relationships. If you are attracted by the title and are looking for some sort of bloodthirsty gore-fest, then move right along to a different type of revenge drama.

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Hardcover: 352 pages; Doubleday (February 8, 2011) US|UK|Canada.

As always John will be addressing any comments on the review, so don’t forget to check the follow up box to get his response.

Have you read and/or reviewed the book? What were your thoughts and do you agree with John?

Happy reading!

Review: The Psychopath Test ~ by Jon Ronson

 

Review by Shellie for The Psychopath Test ~ by Jon Ronson (arc)

A darkly hilarious, and almost unbelievable journalistic journey into how “madness”  is defined, recognized, and treated within western culture and the mental heath industry.

In attempt to the question “what is it that defines madness?” Jon Ronson spent two years undertaking some intriguing travels and interviews and then carrying out further research. As he examines himself, journalism, the entertainment industry, psychiatry, pharmaceutical companies and more, he blends it all together with a reflective and self effacing style. On his travels he meets a psychologist who has created a check list that is used to define psychopathic individuals – hence the book’s title.

So what is a psychopath? (Also termed a sociopath or someone with anti-social personality disorder). And why a test?  In his research Ronson finds that these are individuals who are lacking in common empathy and a moral sensibility. In other words they have no guilt. A psychopath’s very nature is often hard to recognize since they are charming, chameleon like, and blend well within the general population. They also prey upon unsuspecting people in order to satisfy their desires and perceived needs. Is there more of an excuse to define them?  Ronson reports that it is believed that psychopaths account for as many as 25% of the prison population; by comparison, within the general population it is assumed or speculated that the respective figure is just 1%. He examines where these individuals are most likely to appear within the “free pollution”, including a theory that a much higher percentage of the world’s most powerful positions (CEOs, politicians, world leaders) are held by psychopaths. Not too hard to imagine.

Most interestingly the book contains some shocking evidence on just how far we have yet to progress in understanding what mental illness is and how best to treat it’s varying manifestations. Ronson includes some amazing situations - one in particular I would have believed could only exist in fiction (and maybe in his novel-turned-movie Men Who Stare at Goats). In this instance a prison psychiatrist, in an attempt to “cure” his psychopathic patients of their lack of empathy, grouped them together, isolated the group, and administered LSD for eleven day periods. The results were darkly hilarious and not at all shocking. Ronson does not stop there.

This is highly recommended for anyone interested in the mental health or medical field, journalistic writing, and those with a twisted sense of humor – and I score on all of those counts! Be forewarned that this book is not for the “faint of heart” or those wanting conclusive endings. I give this book a 4.5 stars. I completely enjoyed this informing, intelligent, and darkly funny read.

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288 pages; Riverhead Hardcover (May 12, 2011) US|UK|Canada.

Along the same lines here is a list of 10 psychological states you’ve never heard of from io9.

Also a link for a free online mood monitoring service called moodscope – for those who would like to track their moods for health and understanding. Looks geeky cool!

This book will be included in at least one challenge – Understand My Sorrow.

Thanks for reading!