Review of 'The Strange Bird: A Borne Story' on 'Goodreads'
No rating
A short story to complement Borne, The Strange Bird is set in the same biotechnological dystopia. It not only looks at the Borne plot from another angle, but also manages to provide an almost phenomenological account of life as a weird sentient piece of biotechnology.
The short form fits well with VanderMeer's writing, as his complicated ideas are forced into clarity. I enjoyed The Strange Bird more than Borne, but would still recommend reading the latter first.
A short story to complement Borne, The Strange Bird is set in the same biotechnological dystopia. It not only looks at the Borne plot from another angle, but also manages to provide an almost phenomenological account of life as a weird sentient piece of biotechnology.
The short form fits well with VanderMeer's writing, as his complicated ideas are forced into clarity. I enjoyed The Strange Bird more than Borne, but would still recommend reading the latter first.
This was hard to get into - - the experimental form initially felt like pretense more than anything else - - but ultimately this book is a well-crafted, demanding, disorienting read, probably because disorientation and incomprehension are such important themes relating to death and grief. An odd experience, strongly recommended to Saunders fans or people open to an experimental read.
Review of 'EinFach Deutsch Unterrichtsmodelle : Dave Eggers : Der Circle' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
There's a solid amount of imagination in The Circle, but it never manages to offer more than a well-developed premise. That's not bad in itself- - it's something I enjoy in comics and films - - but it seems like such a wasted opportunity given the medium and the relative ease with which this novel could have escaped its sophomoric quality . Right now it's just not literature, despite its clever plot and decent but dry style (I refer to the many other negative reviews on this site for a discussion about that).
This is the kind of work that could get people into reading, though, so I'd heartily recommend it as such. If you're looking for something with depth, food for thought or impressive style, you'd better go elsewhere.
Edit: I find myself in perfect agreement with Brad's review, so I will be lazy and just link you there:
…
There's a solid amount of imagination in The Circle, but it never manages to offer more than a well-developed premise. That's not bad in itself- - it's something I enjoy in comics and films - - but it seems like such a wasted opportunity given the medium and the relative ease with which this novel could have escaped its sophomoric quality . Right now it's just not literature, despite its clever plot and decent but dry style (I refer to the many other negative reviews on this site for a discussion about that).
This is the kind of work that could get people into reading, though, so I'd heartily recommend it as such. If you're looking for something with depth, food for thought or impressive style, you'd better go elsewhere.
Edit: I find myself in perfect agreement with Brad's review, so I will be lazy and just link you there:
A triptych indeed: Ledgard shows his love for and knowledge about the African continent in three different ways, tying together fiction, anecdote, journalism and political vision. His proposal to build an aerial railroad of autonomous robots is spectacular and inspiring, especially if considered in the historical context of infrastructure shaping nations and economies. Moreover, he clearly considers African ecology in his vision, revealing a 21st century take on innovation.
This work is just as much a book of ideas as it is literature. Submergence already revealed Ledgard to me as an intelligent, skillful writer, but Terra Firma Tryptich proves he is a good thinker, too.
A fascinating if repetitive account of Islamic State, in which Napoleoni emphasizes how it should be considered an attempt at nation-building in a world that has otherwise regressed into premodern warfare. She discusses some of the economic and political aspects of that peculiar territorial terrorism that is IS, while pointing out how its use of propaganda and divide et impera eluded the apparatuses of highly developed states.
The analysis is plausible, but not very grounded. The work is light on (useful) citations and doesn't examine any of the dimensions of IS - economical, political, theological or ideological - in depth enough to provide good understanding.
The main thesis though, that globalisation has left a multipolar world in which space has appeared to move from terrorism into nation-building, is interesting enough to justify this read.
A fascinating if repetitive account of Islamic State, in which Napoleoni emphasizes how it should be considered an attempt at nation-building in a world that has otherwise regressed into premodern warfare. She discusses some of the economic and political aspects of that peculiar territorial terrorism that is IS, while pointing out how its use of propaganda and divide et impera eluded the apparatuses of highly developed states.
The analysis is plausible, but not very grounded. The work is light on (useful) citations and doesn't examine any of the dimensions of IS - economical, political, theological or ideological - in depth enough to provide good understanding.
The main thesis though, that globalisation has left a multipolar world in which space has appeared to move from terrorism into nation-building, is interesting enough to justify this read.
Review of 'The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I am a bit on the fence about this bundle. First of all, I hadn't expected it to be a bundle -- I figured that Graeber would provide an integrated critique of bureaucracy, since he seems to have been working on the topic for a while. Of course, essays can be perfect vehicles for the development of new ideas, and The Utopia of Rules certainly delivers in terms of exploration, but it falls a little short when it comes to substance.
That is not to say there's nothing of interest here: Graeber's style is intact and he explores some very interesting ideas. He argues that bureaucracy is predicated on violence and the power gradients that stem from it and introduces a concept he calls interpretive labor, which is roughly the same as the psychological theory of mind, but is contextualized within class society. The logic that takes him …
I am a bit on the fence about this bundle. First of all, I hadn't expected it to be a bundle -- I figured that Graeber would provide an integrated critique of bureaucracy, since he seems to have been working on the topic for a while. Of course, essays can be perfect vehicles for the development of new ideas, and The Utopia of Rules certainly delivers in terms of exploration, but it falls a little short when it comes to substance.
That is not to say there's nothing of interest here: Graeber's style is intact and he explores some very interesting ideas. He argues that bureaucracy is predicated on violence and the power gradients that stem from it and introduces a concept he calls interpretive labor, which is roughly the same as the psychological theory of mind, but is contextualized within class society. The logic that takes him there -- through the anthropological observation that bureaucratic forms are uninteresting and the feminist critique of one-sided empathy -- is fascinating in its complexity.
Another promising idea is that bureaucracy appeals not because it leads to a fair, meritocratic society (it doesn't), but because predictable rules appeal to a society that is suspicious of play. Here Graeber makes use of the distinction between games and play, something that couldn't be pulled off in my native language, but nonetheless makes all the sense in the world to me. He explores the promise that play has to change the world, in an argument that is explicity based on the Situationists and other ludic, anarchist movements. For Graeber, the dichotomy that is at the core of the left-right divide is that of play versus (violent) order --which is a refreshing thought in an era that is stuck in the Cold War logic of states versus markets -- and clarifies that this is exactly why the Left should resist being tempted by bureaucracy.
It doesn't make sense to summarize the book, so let me stop there. If you are interested in seeing a solid first step towards a critique of bureaucracy that is deeper, more coherent and more productive than the common right-wing one, Graeber's collection is where you should be.
"The second volume of the bestselling landmark work on the history of the modern state …
Review of 'Political Order and Political Decay' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
It was a pleasure to join the clear mind of Francis Fukuyama in this second volume of his work on political order. Whilehis first volume ([b:The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution|9704856|The Origins of Political Order From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution|Francis Fukuyama|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317064084s/9704856.jpg|14593088]) argued in favor of a triad of rule of law, effective statehood and accountability, he used this second volume to show how different balances between these three elements have led to wildly varying political outcomes in the modern age.
Given the exhaustive nature of the political order project, I am pretty sure both books offer something for everyone. Personally, I found it quite interesting to read a strong defense of bureaucracy or, to be more precise, autonomous bureaucracy. Fukuyama's arguments in favor of a strong state should be taken to heart by minarchists and anarchists alike, especially since he argues that …
It was a pleasure to join the clear mind of Francis Fukuyama in this second volume of his work on political order. Whilehis first volume ([b:The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution|9704856|The Origins of Political Order From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution|Francis Fukuyama|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317064084s/9704856.jpg|14593088]) argued in favor of a triad of rule of law, effective statehood and accountability, he used this second volume to show how different balances between these three elements have led to wildly varying political outcomes in the modern age.
Given the exhaustive nature of the political order project, I am pretty sure both books offer something for everyone. Personally, I found it quite interesting to read a strong defense of bureaucracy or, to be more precise, autonomous bureaucracy. Fukuyama's arguments in favor of a strong state should be taken to heart by minarchists and anarchists alike, especially since he argues that some of the popular alternatives to state power (e.g. decentralized judicial systems) lead to capture of the political process by interest groups or to other forms of political decay. It will be interesting to read [b:The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy|22245334|The Utopia of Rules On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy|David Graeber|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417415465s/22245334.jpg|41620170] with Fukuyama's arguments in mind.
One problem of Political Order and Political Decay is that is it poorly edited. A work of this scope can only be written with a good team overseeing structure, and that clearly didn't happen. Key insights were repeated over and over again, while some discussions were so short they could just as well have been skipped (the section on the Arab Spring was particularly superficial and disappointing). However, these shortcomings shouldn't deter anyone: both this book and The Origins of Political Order are fascinating reads for the politically and historically inclined.
