Q Books | Kwaj Today

Books Q-Qz

Quasar, Quasar, Burning Bright by Isaac Asimov. This was Asimov's thirteenth collection of science essays taken from the The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

There is as is characteristic with Asimov essay collections--a diverse group of subjects.

There is an essay on the defense of NY City in which he considers various cities of the world, an essay on the Bicentennial of the U.S. focusing on how a rural backwater became the technological capitol of the world, ( in which he argues that all significant change is technological change) an essay on why there are Ice Ages, and how black holes came to be discovered, and what the brightest object of the world is.

The final essay is one in which he discusses what he calls human foibles .In it he writes his own qualification to Clarke's law( i.e. if an elderly and distinguished scientist states that something is possible he is almost certainly right, but when he says something is impossible , he is very probably wrong."

Asimov's corollarys are as follows: "When however, the lay public rallies round an idea that is denounced by distinguished but elderly scientists and supports that idea with great fervor and emotion- 'the disgtinguished but elderly scientists are then, after all, probably right".

Asimov's reasoning here is based on the idea that mankind wants to believe in things which are comforting to it. His great example is the rejection of Darwinian evolution.

His second collorary is "If a scientific heresy is ignored or denounced by the general public, there is a chance it may be right. If a scientific heresy is emotionally supported by the general public, it is almost certainly wrong."

Asimov is self- critical and wise enough to give us an exception to this rule, Jenner and vaccination which the wider public enthusiastically supported while the scientific establishment at first rejected it.

As usual Asimov in his essays is knowledgeable, interesting informative and often highly original and enjoyable.

Top

The Quiet American by Graham Greene. "I never knew a man who had better motives for all the trouble he caused," Graham Greene's narrator Fowler remarks of Alden Pyle, the eponymous "Quiet American" of what is perhaps the most controversial novel of his career. Pyle is the brash young idealist sent out by Washington on a mysterious mission to Saigon, where the French Army struggles against the Vietminh guerrillas.

As young Pyle's well-intentioned policies blunder into bloodshed, Fowler, a seasoned and cynical British reporter, finds it impossible to stand safely aside as an observer. But Fowler's motives for intervening are suspect, both to the police and himself, for Pyle has stolen Fowler's beautiful Vietnamese mistress.

Originally published in 1956 and twice adapted to film, The Quiet American remains a terrifiying and prescient portrait of innocence at large. This Graham Greene Centennial Edition includes a new introductory essay by Robert Stone.

If you ever wondered why the US and France do not get along well, this book will give you some good insight.

Top