Ubik

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• Rated 4 stars

“An amusing, yet technically accurate and insightful, analysis of some of the failed or botched military inventions from World War II. Parsons obviously has a great deal of enthusiasm for and knowledge of the subject, as he not only puts out the technical information and history of these could-have-beens but a keen analysis of their potential use as well. He has an acerbic, absurdist sense of humor which pairs perfectly with the often-ludicrous nature of the inventions he's examining. Some beautiful artist's interpretations and technical drawings of these inventions are included as well. The only real downside is that the "alternate history" vignettes that accompany each invention mostly fall flat and don't really add much to the book, but they can just as easily be skipped over.”

Ubik wrote this review Wednesday, November 14, 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I enjoyed reading this book, and I actually did capture some of the narrator's joy for the myriad forms of faith in its beginning; however, the ending grossly cheapened that by confronting the reader with an emotional/aesthetic take on Pascal's Wager. The other aspects of the story, including the internal monologue of the narrator and the fantastical nature of its plot, make it a worthwhile read, but don't for a minute buy the claim of "This book will make you believe in God."”

Ubik wrote this review Tuesday, July 31, 2007. ( reply | view 3 replies | permalink )