Altering the Blueprint: the Ethics of Genetics is a “course” taught by Alexander McCall Smith as part of the Portable Professor series published by Barnes and Noble. This one was not nearly up to par with some of the others I have encountered. It was really just an extended philosophy/history of reproductive science. Nothing new or groundbreaking. There was very little to the ethics, just a recitation of the opposing camps…

This was a short e-work, free on Kindle. Free was a good choice. There was nothing really new or interesting; Harris’ entire argument seemed to boil down to “don’t ever lie, you’ll feel better about yourself.” I thought there might be some sort of psychological approach to why people lie, but alas not. Do you really need to read a book to know that lying is bad?

A good friend of mine named Phil recommended I read this series. This was the second, and another great book. Kvothe really grows into himself in this one. What Phil didn’t quite mention is that the third book hasn’t been published yet, and no one knows when that will be. I hate Phil…

Persepolis

I might have gone into this book with too-high expectations. Persepolis has won numerous awards, as has the film adaptation. That being said, I felt a little let down after reading it. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good story and an intriguing look behind the scenes of the Islamic Revolution in Iran as well as general Iranian culture. But Marji herself does not come across as a very sympathetic figure. I loved her ten year-old self in the beginning of the book, but by the middle, she had lost most of what made her so adorable and strong. I will grant that most of us go through the same thing during adolescence, but the fall did seem much more precipitous for Satrapi. Is she redeemed in the end? I won’t say here, but would love to hear other’s thoughts on the subject.

Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned

While there are plenty of stories revolving around the idea of being the last survivor or group of survivors of some cataclysmic event, Brian K. Vaughan‘s story is a little different. What if you weren’t the last human, but the last MAN? In this first volume of the series, Yorick Brown finds himself in just such a predicament (along with the only other known male survivor of any species, his pet monkey Ampersand).

This first volume sets up the series and the immediate aftermath of the death of all the males. There are a LOT of angry women. Some Republican Senatorial widows attempt to storm the White House in an attempt to take over their husbands’ now vacant seats. The Amazons are reborn. And there is a supermodel/actress driving a garbage truck. Somehow through it all, Yorick, whose mother just now happens to be POTUS, cares only about finding his girlfriend…

An intriguing beginning to the series. Am interested to see where it leads…

First of all, Tobias Henry is a much more likable fellow than Jacob Jankowski on almost every front. For all that he is almost as helpless as Jankowski, Tobias at least realizes as much. And when push comes to shove (and in all fairness to JJ, it does take a few pushes and shoves to get him moving) Tobias does at least take control of his own fate.

Secondly, it’s just a much better story. The characters and events are all more believable.

The story was an enjoyable one with real humor and just a touch of pathos. If I had to nitpick anything, it would be with the character of Craw. I don’t think that his role in the book was all that realistic for the time and place. While certain elements were plausible, others were just a little far-fetched, more so even than the ‘fantasy’ elements of the story. But that’s a rather small nit in an overwhelmingly good book.

Building on a growing trend of “Philosophy and…” books that run the gamut of pop cultures, Superheroes is a great way to introduce people to philosophy, especially those who might not be otherwise inclined. A series of essays, the work covers both the Marvel and DC universes as well as philosophers from Plato through to Derek Parfit (b. 1942). It would be easy to dismiss this series as nothing more than philosophical fluff dumbed-down for the masses, but I think one would be missing something to do so. As William Irwin states in the Introduction, “Ultimately, this book aims to shed light on the hidden depth of superheroes, while at the same time illustrate the importance of philosophy. Superman and Batman are not replacements for Plato and Aristotle, but they can inspire you to read Plato and Aristotle, who will challenge you to think deeply.” And after all, isn’t that what we ask of any good book?

Pretty decent follow-up to Alice in Deadland . The former residents of the Deadland have formed a community (Wonderland) and humans and Biters are building a fragile peace. Of course, the Red Guards are not so quick to forget the ragtag bunch that bloodied their noses. Alice must hold together this coalition in the face of new enemies, both internal and external, while at the same time receiving help from unexpected quarters. Definitely a zombie tale with a twist.

Oliver Pötzsch (Photo credit: Lutz_ek)

The Dark Monk is the second installment in Oliver Potzsch’s “Hangman’s Daughter” series, and was just as enjoyable as the first. The setting is 17th century Bavaria and the main characters are members of the Kuisl family, Jakob, the titular hangman, and Magdalena, his daughter, as well as the son and apprentice to the local doctor, Simon Fronwieser. This time centered around a Dan Brown-esque religious mystery and race against time and treasure thieves, the book is full of historical fact and authorial fancy.

In fact, the one knock I have against the book is that some of the situations in which he places the characters and the means by which he extricates them are just a little too far-fetched, in an otherwise brilliantly researched and historically accurate novel.

Definitely looking forward to part 3.