Midwest Book Review Shares Their Review of Bernard Jones' Discovery of Troy

TITLE: The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History

AUTHOR: Bernard Jones

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: www.trojanhistory.com

GENRE: HISTORY - NON-FICTION

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: From 14/15 Years upward

ISBN: 9781916499218, 

PAGES: 400 

AWARDS:

1.America's Reader Views Literary Awards 2020; 1st Place History Category.

2.America's Reader Views Literary Awards 2020; Global Award - Best History    Book (Europe).

3.Canada's IAN Book of the Year Awards; Finalist - History Category.

PUBLISHER: Trojan History Press

AVAILABLE: www.amazon.com/Discovery-Troy-its-Lost-History/dp/1916499201

Originally Reviewed by Midwest Book Review's Small Press Bookwatch

 

Synopsis: The Trojan War was the greatest catastrophe of the ancient Hellenic world. We are told that it devastated Europe and Asia and plunged the known world into a Dark Age that lasted 500 years. 

 

Thirty years of painstaking investigative research has finally resolved this 3,000-year-old mystery as author and historian Bernard Jones uncovered the evidence piece by piece, separating fact from fiction, and unlocking the secrets of the past. Unbelievably, Bernard's research showed that the Trojan War could not have taken place in the Aegean area, or even in the Mediterranean world. This evidence turns our accepted geography on its head and leads us on a fascinating journey of discovery back to the real world in which the Trojans lived. Here, we discover who the Greeks and the Trojans really were, and the parts they played in Homer's Bronze Age world. 

 

Secret knowledge concealed in the "Iliad" reveals Homer's work to be a genuine historical record. Yet, only in the corrected Bronze Age environment can it be understood. Deciphering Homer's coded information becomes the key to finding the location of the Trojan War and the Bronze Age city of Troy itself. Lost histories also tell the whole story of the migrations that took place following the Trojan War and the nations that arose out of the ashes of Troy. The records of these nations independently verify the author's findings, and they overturn the theory of a 'Dark Age'. 

 

Critique: An absolutely fascinating and iconoclastic read from beginning to end, "The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented. Impressively informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Ancient History collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History" is also available in a paperback edition (9781916499201, $22.99). 

 

This review will also appear in the Cengage Learning, Gale interactive CD-ROM series "Book Review Index" which is published four times yearly for academic, corporate, and public library systems. Additionally, this review will be archived on our Midwest Book Review website for the next five years at http://www.midwestbookreview.com 

AUTHOR BIO:

Bernard Jones was, until recently, a multi-disciplinary professional; a Chartered Practitioner and Chartered Fellow with a lifetime of scientific, technical, investigative and research work behind him. In addition to his professional vocation, he is a historian of some 35 plus years.

He completed his post graduate research in ancient philosophy/mythology and ancient history. For the last three decades he has applied his professional skills to his work as a historian, the result of which is two extraordinary books. The Discovery of Troy and its Lost History is the first of these. 

His second book, The Voyage of Aeneas of Troy is scheduled for publication in 2022.

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Chasing Coral Movie and Into the Deep Book Discussion Guides

Chasing Coral Movie and Into the Deep Book Discussion Questions

Everything on planet Earth is connected to every other living thing. Both the movie and the book present alarming information about the decline of the ocean we need to understand. The ocean is a moderator of temperature and carbon. Without it, temperatures would be rising even more quickly. The film presents visual images to help us comprehend the magnitude of the issues. The book provides detailed, factual, comprehensive, decades-long studies and current research to counter the fact global warming now is a natural phenomenon. Yes, the Earth has warmed before, but it was over many thousands of years. This time it has been happening for about 200 years, more since World War II. Recovery would take thousands of years. It is time to act. Watch the movie. Read the book and see if you agree. 

*Note: The film and book are entirely separate, and I paired them for a more complete understanding of the problems the ocean is facing. 

Free instant download PDF with the discussion questions (click this link to open the PDF)

Chasing Coral Movie

Note: I found the film on Netflix as it is a Netflix original movie. 

Chasing Coral is one of the six films suggest by Al Gore's Climate Reality Leadership Corps, and a movie trailer is available at the link. 

Discussion Questions

1. How did Richard Vevers think of the idea for the Chasing Choral film? What did he do next?

2. How was the fact the movie is "advertising" explained? 

3. Why does the ocean require advertising? What was compared coral with to explain why they needed to make the movie?

4. It was mentioned people usually look up to the stars, but not down to the bottom of the ocean. How does this lead to people being unaware of ocean issues?

5. A surprising person was part of the film crew, Zack Rago. Who was he and why did it seem this project was made especially for him? In the beginning, did it seem like he would be so important in the story? 

6. Tell some things you learned about coral while watching. Are white corals stunning and beautiful? What about fluorescing corals? 

7. Did the movie convince or further convince you that global warming is real? Explain why it did or did not. 

8. Why was it such a problem to have time-lapse cameras under the ocean? Why didn't the producers know for months at a time what was being recorded? 

9. Finally, near the end of the two years, repeated diving and manual films were taken. The divers would dive about 60 times a day for months. Why was this so very difficult emotionally for the divers? 

10. When Zach Rago meets Dr. Charlie Vernon, why is their meeting so bittersweet? 

 Into the Deep: Science, Technology, and the Quest to Protect the Ocean

Book by Christy Peterson

Title: Into the Deep: Science, Technology, and the Quest to Protect the Ocean
Author: Christy Peterson
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books ™ (Lerner Publishing)
Publisher Address: Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Publisher Website Address: https://lernerbooks.com/Pages/Our-Imprints
Publisher Email Address: custserve@lernerbooks.com
ISBN-13: 978-1541555556

ISBN-10: 1541555554

ASIN: B081H5L6VJ

Price $19.05 Library Binding, $9.99 Kindle
Page Count: 152 pages
Formats: (Library Binding, Kindle)

Discussion Questions

1. We learn no part of the ocean is removed from our lives on land. Yet, we do not know much about much of the ocean. What are some of the difficulties with understanding the ocean? Why is the ocean so difficult to explore?

2. How much of the ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored?

3. Profiles of oceanographers and scientists are included throughout the book. What advice did they share with aspiring college students of ocean studies?

4. The fact all water comes from and returns to the sea is explained in the text. All water does not travel the same route. How are scientists tracking all the water on Earth and its movement around the planet?

5. What is demonstrated at Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay, Oregon?

6. What is marine “snow?”

7. What drives surface currents? What causes deep ocean currents?

8. What happens to Earth if the oceans die? What are some things that happen when oceans become warmer?

9. Did you understand Chemosynthesis before reading this book? What is it?

10. What are some ways phytoplankton help the earth? How do jellyfish swarms threaten salmon, coastal power plants, and human stings?

11. Coral reefs absorb wave energy. If the reefs disappear, what could some communities experience?

12. Were you surprised or not by all the detailed and factual information in this book? 

Thank you for reading, Carolyn Wilhelm

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the form at https://www.bit.ly/FinishedReviewSubmissions. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. And know that Carolyn Wilhelm, our IT expert, award-winning author, and veteran educator, makes an award image especially for those who volunteer to write reviews from Lois's review-request list and post them in the spirit of her "Authors Helping Authors" project. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Critique of Two Books About the Champawat Tiger: Man-Eaters of Kumaon and No Beast So Fierce

Critique of Two Books About the Champawat Tiger: Man-Eaters of Kumaon and No Beast So Fierce

A question every human has in their mind is whether monsters are born or created.  If monsters are born, then no one is to blame for the death, destruction, and sorrow left in their wake.  But if a monster is made, then who is culpable for the misery inflicted on others?

One monster arguably made is the Champawat Tiger or rather the Champawat Tigress. She is attributed to no less than 436 deaths: 200 in Nepal and 236 in the Kumaon area of northern India. Her reign of terror is thought to have lasted almost a decade around eight or nine years before a brave hunter from a modest background laid her to rest.

Jim Corbett, born in India during the British occupation of India, was not part of the British elite, being of Irish ancestry and not being from a wealthy family. With a large family, six older half-siblings, and eight younger full siblings, he learned the ways of the Indian wilderness when need drove him to hunt to provide for his siblings due to his father’s untimely death.   

Eventually, Jim Corbett’s reputation as a skilled hunter led the British Raj to call upon him to destroy the tiger. He traveled north to the Himalayan foothills where the tiger reigned over the terrified populace. Through cooperation with the local populace combined with an understanding of tiger behavior and acts of bravery by many people, the Champawat tiger was brought to bay and slain by Jim Corbett.

The Champawat Tiger was his first experience with a fearsome man-eating carnivore. Unlike all the others who had attempted to hunt this killing machine, he quickly ascertained the animal in question was an older tigress. Did the others simply not care or were they so lacking in an understanding of their quarry?

The story can be read in Jim Corbett’s own words in the book Man-Eaters of Kumaon. He has an engaging but simple storytelling style. He sidesteps some thorny issues of the day but it is clear that he was a humble man and one surprisingly open-minded towards Indians. Keep in mind that in this era it was perfectly acceptable to refer to anyone not white as savages and barbarians and open racism was expected from a “civilized” gentleman.  

Unusually for an adventure story, the author is honest about the discomforts offered by the landscape.  He talks about the dangers of malaria, risk of wounds turning septic, and uncomfortable nights in trees and getting rained on.  He also acknowledges the danger from India’s wildlife itself, which included king cobras, leopards, mugger crocodiles, and of course enraged tigers.

It’s hardly a surprise the story of the Champawat Tiger would continue to fascinate even over a hundred years from when it occurred.  There is a lone hero, Jim Corbett. A cast of stalwart sidekicks and supporters of the hero. Of course, no story would be complete without an anguished villain, the tigress herself.

Jim Corbett retains a simple but tactful style. He avoids falling for the temptation of sensationalism, avoiding gory detail about the tiger’s victims. He states enough to communicate the horror of what the victims were subjected to but in deference to the people who loved them, he avoids unnecessary details of the nightmare scenes that he witnessed.  

Of course, aspects of the story almost require suspension of disbelief. Some ask if one lone tiger could really eat 436 people. The story caught the attention of journalist Dane Huckelbridge who set out to research the story, which has reached legendary proportions.

In No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Animal in History, the author sets about verifying the facts of the legend. While he does not fully endorse the 436 alleged victims, he does note that while it may have been lower, it could have been a much higher number due to various social circumstances in British run India.

While the author is not a tiger expert he did travel to the region for his research and took pains to research not only tigers but also the socio-economic conditions in the region during the Chapawat’s reign of terror.  There are a few minor mistakes such as saying tigers flip porcupines onto their bellies when I am sure he meant backs, as porcupines typically walk (maybe waddle is more correct) with their bellies to the ground.  

Overall though it is well written and provides additional insight into the Champawat Tiger and British run India.  For many reasons, Jim Corbett kept his stories politically neutral although he does hint at the tensions between the native-born population and the British colonizing them. When one understands the hostility of the Kumaoni towards the British Raj and their representatives, it just shows how extraordinary Jim Corbett was to earn their trust and love.

An interesting aspect of No Beast So Fierce is the author asserts that the Champawat Tiger was a man-made ecological disaster. He draws attention to the deforestation and mass killing of animals that occurred at the time.  Sadly such things continue today.

While the author of No Beast So Fierce imagines the original poacher who set off the deadly chain of events to be a poacher who set off to kill a tiger, Jim Corbett does name the person a poacher but refrains from further judgment and speculation. Given the Champawat was injured by a gunshot to the mouth, there is no doubt it was a poacher for who else would set out in the jungle with a gun? But it could have just as easily been someone hunting for game birds or the deer who inhabited the jungle, and having been surprised by the tigress, shot her in terror and self-defense, and then took off as fast as he could.  

Both authors, however, agree upon the danger of leaving a wounded animal in the wild. Jim Corbett is more explicit on the irresponsible actions of a hunter who does not end an animal’s suffering.  

An accidental shooting would explain why no attempt was made to follow the tigress after wounding, but it just as easily could have been an irresponsible hunter. Either way, it had dire consequences for those who lived in the Himalayan foothills. One does have to wonder if this person did become one of her victims. Note: I assert the poacher was a male not just because both authors do but because hunting was a decidedly male task.

Dane Huckelbridge asserts the Champawat Tiger had her own name in Nepal, from the village of Rupal where she killed her Nepalese victims. He takes a very idealized view of Nepal and Indian society in the area, which must be taken with some reserve because every society has a dark side.  

While at times Dane Huckelbridge adopts a condescending tone towards those who lived during the events, the tone changes by the end of the book. Especially towards Jim Corbett who early in the book he insinuates is a fame-seeking social climber, but by the end, his tone has changed to neutral or even some admiration.  

If anything, reading the books written by Jim Corbett show him to be a truly humble and self-effacing man who downplayed his merits such as his extraordinary skill in tracking and his remarkable marksmanship. He was universally reputed to be humble, honest, and well-liked by all who knew him, although also a solitary man.  

I believe his pursuit of material comforts was driven by wanting to provide for his family and having suffered from deprivation as a child, he would naturally seek financial security. This is a normal human instinct. He had a special relationship with his sister Maggie, who I am guessing was close in age with him and one of his many siblings he was closest to. By special I am not insinuating anything other than his sister Maggie was also his best friend.  

Reading the books by Jim Corbett himself are pleasant reads despite the rather unpleasant subjects of his story.  Through the stories, you get to know the man himself. It’s easy to understand why the Indian Government after his death named a national park after him. Today the Jim Corbett National Park is a safe haven in north India for the Bengal tigers he so admired.

Guest Blogger i-Reid

I. Reid is an insatiably curious, overeducated homo sapiens-sapiens who much to the dismay of family and friends has never outgrown the why phase (or how phase if applied to how a thing works). As I. Reid is gainfully employed and considered a productive adult in polite society, I. Reid guest blogs on occasion guided by whatever is the curiosity of the nanosecond. Find her on the Wise Owl Site at https://www.thewiseowlfactory.com/guest-posts-by-i-reid/

More About This Blog 

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Midwest Book Review Gives Nod to “Iconoclastic” Book

Title: Damn the Novel

Author: Amr Muneer Dahab
Publisher: AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
www.authorhouse.com
ISBN: 9781546271307 

$23.99, Hard Cover, 160pp

Available on Amazon

Reviewed by Jim Cox originally for Midwest Book Review

In "Damn the Novel: when a Privileged Genre Prevails Over All Forms of Creative Writing" Dahab proposes that it is time to extend our reading arena outside the novel and narrative fiction.

As Dahab notes, life is profound and gorgeous; it deserves to be experienced beyond fantasy! So in "Damn the Novel" he asserts an overt condemnation of all forms of privilege granted to a literary genre over other writing genres.

Though "Damn the Novel" could be perceived as a vociferous cry against the novel per se, it is actually an objective view against the process of perpetuating the delusion that the novel specifically, and narrative fiction in general, should inevitably be the most dominating and influential literary trend.

GAmrcDahab,

"Damn the Novel" offers an exciting and challenging reading experience, through which the reader will be able to realize that it is time for literature to embrace a fresh literary atmosphere in which all genres are granted equality to get the same chance to flourish in total freedom without any literary sponsorship.

Critique: An iconoclastic, thoughtful and thought-provoking read from first page to last, "Damn the Novel: when a Privileged Genre Prevails Over All Forms of Creative Writing" is an extraordinary and inherently fascinating literary argument and one that will be of particular interest to writers and readers in general, as well as everyone and anyone who has ever wanted to write 'The Great American Novel' in particular. While very highly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Studies, as well as Writing/Publishing collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Damn the Novel" is also available in a paperback edition (9781546271321, $13.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER, THIS BLOG, AND ITS BENEFITS FOR WRITERS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon Vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too.

Biblical Clock Virtual Book Tour from Daniel Friedman

The New Book Review welcomes virtual book tours like this one as a lovely way to know more about any given author or book. 

Virtual Book Tour for The Biblical Clock

Author: Daniel Friedmann

Genre: Nonfiction Religion/Spiritual

Publicist: The YP Publishing

Category: Religion, Spiritual, Non-Fictio

Purchase on Amazon  and at danielfriedmannbooks.ca/

GUEST POST FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BIBLICAL CLOCK

For countless centuries, people have asked "How did our universe come into being? Has it always been here? How did we get here and are we really so close to the End of Times?"  In my book “The Biblical Clock: The Untold Secrets Linking the Universe and Humanity with God’s Plan” I have come up with some revelations that will surprise you!

Can God, Scripture, and science be reconciled? As we look at the stars in the sky many of us have pondered about our origins and how the universe was created at some point in our lives. I am no different, except perhaps that I have both a strong scientific and a religious background.  Thus, when I ponder our origins, the age of the universe I not only have to contend with two seemingly very different accounts of our universe; but with the knowledge that both are accurate, at least in terms of what happened and when it happened.

I began with knowledge gained from a basic religious upbringing and then a university education in which I studied science. Both bodies of knowledge were fascinating, yet appeared incompatible. For a while I came to think that science books answered everything. Yet, by my fourth year at university, some fundamental questions concerning our origins and the age of the universe began to re-appear. In science texts, some answers were not available, some answers were strange, and some answers were so metaphysical they looked like religious answers. So, I went back to study religion, this time also studying the mystical component of religion so as to find deeper inner meaning rather than the simple interpretation. Answers began to appear.

So what did I find?  I decided to share my findings in my book, The Biblical Clock.

The book is based primarily on Genesis and some other books of the bible. All of these are shared with Christianity and most with Islam. For non-Abrahamic religions, the book shows and approaches the issues but does not go into they're scriptures. This book is easy to read, engaging, entertaining, narrative style book that told the story of the discovery of all the information, while at the same time explain the key discoveries.  I teamed up with an award-winning writer to produce this book Dania Sheldon. 

While the book was originally intended for those 12 to 30 years of age that are or have gone through a school system that portrays science against religion, it has been well received by all ages. Readers with a knowledge-craving, open mind will thoroughly enjoy this read and be delighted by its many elements and propositions.

MORE ABOUT DANIEL FRIEDMAN 

Daniel is presently Chairman of the Board of Carbon Engineering a company dedicated to removing CO2 from the air to reduce climate change.  He has a master's in engineering physics and 30 years' experience in the space industry. He is also a longtime student of cosmology and religion. T

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK TOUR

Yvonne Wu is an author, speaker and owner of YP Publishing (http://theyyppublishing.com) Her motto is You have your own story to tell, our mission is to help you get the message out there. Learn more about this virtual book tour at http://www.danielfriedmannbooks.ca/the-biblical-clock-book-tour-2019/

MORE ABOUT THE BLOG, THIS BLOG AND ITS BENEFIT FOR WRITERS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon Vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too! 

"Strange Stars" Critiques Connections Between Sci-Fi Rock, Films, Books

Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded 

Author: Jason Heller

Hardcover: 272 pages

Publisher: Melville House; First Edition edition (June 5, 2018)

ISBN-10: 1612196977

ISBN-13: 978-1612196978

Purchase at Amazon

 Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

When I read a blurb describing Strange Stars, my first reaction was that Jason Heller had beaten me to the punch.  I had long thought the connections between sci-fi flavored rock music and sci-fi films and books in the 1970s would make for an interesting critical analysis. I was right, except Heller was a much better critic to pull all the strings together than I would have been. By miles and miles.

The book’s title is a tad misleading if you assume David Bowie will be an important thread in the story.  Yes, Heller bookends the decade with Bowie’s 1971 “Space Oddity” and its 1980 follow-up, “Ashes to Ashes.” Sure, Ziggy Stardust and The Man Who Fell to Earth aren’t neglected. And the book ends with Bowie’s 2018 death and the release of Black Star.

But Heller probes a rich well of evidence demonstrating that the ‘70s was the decade when sci-fi began to be taken seriously in popular culture, its impact ignited by two films by Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange. The Planet of the Apes also contributed to a growing interest in sci-fi and the phenomena of Star Trek was just beginning its widening cult status.  

Sci-fi authors cited by many musicians as influences included Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, William Burroughs, Philip Dick, and Frank Herbert, among many, many others. To greater and lesser degrees, these writers influenced popular rock musicians like Paul Kantner’s Jefferson Starship (“Blows Against the Empire,”) David Crosby and The Byrds (“Mr. Spaceman,”) Elton John (“Rocket Man”), Black Sabbath (Iron Man”), and the psychedelic Pink Floyd. At the same time, futuristic electronic sounds and cover art helped define Progressive Rock groups like yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (“Tarkus.”)

Heller also explores cult favorites including the French Magma, Germany’s Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream, Gary Neuman, Devo, as well as the often forgotten Hawkwind, Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come, and the avant-garde jazz figure Sun Ra. And these are but the best known of the musical performers and groups Heller lists and describes in minute detail leaving no rare single or obscure album unturned.

Along the way, Heller discusses sci-fi lyrics, the burgeoning use of futuristic synth-sounds, new sub-genres like sci-fi-funk and Kraut-rock, concert events like 1979’s Futurama and the impact of films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Star Wars and Star Trek. Occasionally he layers in historical events that piqued public interest in space, futuristic technology, and dystopian predictions like the disappointing passing of Comet Kohoutek and the crash of Star Lab.

In his “Acknowledgements,” Heller credits one reader with keeping him from publishing an encyclopedia instead of a story.  There are many, many passages where readers could be forgiven for feeling like they’re following long, encyclopedic entries, especially when Heller recites band name after band name, album title after album title.    Such passages might inspire skimming along and there’s nothing wrong with that.  Strange Stars can serve as a reference volume as well as an analysis of an amorphous genre, or at least a many-tentacled realm of popular culture.   Strange Stars belongs in pretty much every public library and on the private shelves of both sci-fi and rock lovers.  

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Wesley Britton IS THE AUTHOR OF The Beta Earth Chronicles and a reviewer who love science fiction.  Learn more about him:

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MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG, GETTING REVIEWS AND ANOTHER PROMOTION FREEBIE

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too!