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Comment of the Fortnight
19 October 1997
Book Report

I've had time to do some reading recently (plane trip to and from the East Coast) and here are some quick reviews:

Icebreaker by John Gardner

This is one of the "new" James Bond novels. It helped pass the time nicely, and it was an easy read. The characters are still larger than life in a cartoonish sense. I enjoyed it, of course, but at an entirely different level than the way I enjoyed the Ian Fleming novels when I was in my teenage years. One of my favorite passages from those novels was the scene in Goldfinger where Mr. Strap and Miss Galore trade insults with one another. Nothing in this novel quite lives up to that, but then, what could?

The Lost World by Michael Crichton

Again, another very nice read with non-stop action. No, I haven't seen the "major motion picture," and, after reading the book, I probably don't need to. As with all of Crichton's books, it is thoroughly overresearched.

The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman

Wonderful! This book is just fantastic. My mom introduced me to this mystery novel series; The Ritual Bath is the first of those novels. It introduces Peter Decker, a Los Angeles detective, and Rina Lazarus, a devout Orthodox Jew. Ms. Kellerman's characterizations are right on target; you feel as if you know the people, and you'll also learn a bit about Judaism. I highly recommend this book!

The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

An extra-brilliant novel about a future wherein nanotechnology provides for people's needs. This is not so much a book about the technology as it is about people. Stephenson skillfully weaves his narrative together with that of A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, a book which is central to the story. This book is well worth your attention.

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