Archive for the ‘books’ Category

Arthur C. Clarke - The Final Odyssey

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Arthur C. Clarke died today at his home in Sri Lanka aged 90. A gifted visionary, he believed that "At the present rate of progress, it is almost impossible to imagine any technical feat that cannot be achieved - if it can be achieved at all - within the next ...

Hornblower and the Art of Reading Old Naval Stories

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

After many years, I am re-reading the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester. Hornblower, a fictional naval officer in the Royal Navy during the times of the Napoleonic Wars, is an immensely charismatic person. He is shown as very intelligent, but unwilling to accept that merely his intelligence could cause ...

The Pulp Templar

Saturday, March 25th, 2006

What is it with the Templars and bestsellers? Currently three out of the top ten hardcover fiction works on the New York Times bestseller list have to do with the Templars. Heading the list is of course The Da Vinci Code followed in sixth and eight places by The Templar ...