Saving the world, one book at a time

“Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. They are engines of change, windows on the world, lighthouses erected in the sea of time.” The above quote is one of my all-time favorites, spoken by the brilliant Barbara Tuchman, a celebrated American… Continue reading Saving the world, one book at a time

Slavery = Prisoners of War, Or Slavery ≠ Prisoners of War

The slavery of African-Americans cannot be compared to the slavery that was proposed in Lucifer’s Hammer after the Brotherhood had fallen. Some might say that slavery is slavery any way you slice it. I will argue that with the simplest of ease. The situation that occurred in the plot of this novel was extraordinary, catastrophic,… Continue reading Slavery = Prisoners of War, Or Slavery ≠ Prisoners of War

shades of gray

I had a hard time deciding what word to write about in my blog this week. I finally decided to do a search on the terms “black”, which appeared 88 times; “white”, which appeared 85 times; and then, finally, “gray”, which only appeared 24 times. I found this interesting because so much of the book… Continue reading shades of gray

“Blood” In Lucifer’s Hammer

The word “blood” appears in the novel 28 times. While the meaning of the word does not change as the novel progresses, it does mean different things depending on the character we are focusing on. For example, when we are reading the scenes involving Alim Nassar, blood is associated with brotherhood (it also seems to… Continue reading “Blood” In Lucifer’s Hammer

Personal Ad: Harry Newcombe

Pre-Hammerfall: Ex-city boy with a penchant for the simple life and tasteful home accouterments. Nothing like a fine roast to brighten any day, no matter how heavy or lopsided the mail bag may be. Relaxed, steady job; government employed. Looking for a woman who appreciates a cheerful attitude and some beautiful, masterfully crafted facial hair.… Continue reading Personal Ad: Harry Newcombe

Gordie Vance

I found it interesting to see Gordie Vance’s reaction to Hammerfall. We have so far seen plenty of pages filled with people acting irrationally or inappropriately because of the idea of the comet hitting Earth, justifying their actions with that “end of the world”-type inevitability. Fred, most obviously, has his (icky) way with Colleen, later… Continue reading Gordie Vance

Dr. Malik vs. Maureen, and opposing forces

I’ve noticed that a couple of interesting points have been touched upon already in the earlier posts, but I want to try to link them together in a different way. First of all, for a number of classes, a lot of time has been devoted to inspecting and trying to understand a common theme within… Continue reading Dr. Malik vs. Maureen, and opposing forces